Sailor Moon: A Different Generation
by Consanguinity
Summary: The Senshi are aided against a new, fiercely powerful enemy by a teenage Chibiusa. Further assistance against this seemingly invincible foe must come from the future, but how can these reinforcements make a difference? Criticism Greatly Encouraged.
1. Chapter 1

**Sailor Moon: A Different Generation**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Sailor Moon or any related characters. I do own the different generation though.

**Author's Note: **I won't lie this was inspired by Angel Rei's chibi senshi series of stories and is mostly being written so that I can eventually crossover into that series. It's something of a different take on the future she's created. Forgive me if it seems like a cop-out, I'm going to try to make it mine as much as possible. Yes this will be very similar to "The Next Generation" by Angel Rei, it's supposed to be. You'll understand why by about chapter 2.

XxXxX

**Chapter 1: The Coming of the Void**

Mamoru stalked the bustling streets of Tokyo in daze, his mind racing quicker than he could focus in on. Two months, two wonderfully peaceful months had passed since Sailor Moon's apocalyptic showdown with Sailor Galaxia. There hadn't been a foot set out of line, a hair out of place since that day. While he wished he could be enjoying the peace, it all seemed too easy to last forever.

Perhaps it was the warrior within him, the soul of Prince Endymion of the Golden Earth Kingdom, who refused relaxation. Perhaps it was the lover within him, the man who wish nothing more than for the safety of his beloved Usagi, who kept his feet ready. Or maybe it was the man, who learned too soon that tranquility was a fragile thing, who took no comfort in inactivity. Regardless of the source, Mamoru knew only that he'd been increasingly restless as the days dragged on.

"It all just seems, almost easy...and it never is," He mused, stopping to take a look at the afternoon sky. Overcast, with just a touch of blue showing through the dull white clouds. His hands slipped into his pockets, a sigh escaping his lips. Deep within him, he felt the mystical Golden Crystal pulsing, echoing Mamoru's concern in the planet Earth itself. A familiar musical tone fluttered along the breeze, drifting by his notice. Where it failed, the cell phone's vibrate function succeeded. Mamoru mindlessly withdrew the offending device, glancing listlessly at the caller identification. His chilly demeanor melted away.

"Usagi..." He chuckled and flipped open the phone, returning to his stroll, his spirits higher, "Hey Usako, how are you this afternoon?" Mamoru chuckled again as his princess babbled on the other end detailing her horrendous—at least in her eyes—experience at school, turning to the meeting at Rei's temple shortly thereafter. Mamoru perked up, his eyes narrowing and his walk coming to a halt, "Has Rei sensed anything? Or was this just a friendly get together?" He breathed a sigh—whether it was of relief or exasperation he didn't dare question—upon Usagi's reassurance that nothing was up.

"That's good, glad to hear. Hm? Of course we can have dinner tonight, what time would you like me to pick you up?" He smiled and resumed his walk, "That sounds wonderful, I'll see you tonight Usako," His smile softened and his normally intense eyes grew careful and light, "I love you too," Mamoru closed his phone and returned it to his pocket. His mood had improved greatly, most of his apprehension had melted just hearing her voice. Usagi had always held that power over him.

Of course...it was only most of his apprehension.

XxXxX

The depths of space, an endless realm of frigid darkness, grew darker still as a great force seemed to come—as if from nowhere—and struck a hole in the fabric of space itself. The hole, no more than a pinpoint of deeper black in a sea of black, moved with the cautious tenderness of a child, all the while consuming any and all things that dared to cross its path. As it traveled, it slowly but assuredly began to grow larger, by such minuscule proportions that not even a powerful computer could calculate its maturation.

In the depths of that pinpoint, all light surrendered to the grip of darkness. And all darkness was choked by an even deeper black, a kind of black that writhed like a thousand tendrils. That great blackness, eye-less yet all seeing, mindless yet all knowing, lay in the depths of a dreamless sleep. From within it, a figure emerged, or perhaps simply appeared as if from nowhere at all. It, like the black, was featureless, yet distinct in appearance. Tall, lithe and menacing, it gazed out through the hole in space, deeper still to where their target lay.

"An Earth without the sanctuary of Crystal Tokyo, a world in which the great Queen Serenity holds no power," The black squirmed and twisted, as if laughing in a deep, drowning voice that flowed like a thick sludge. Were it to possess eyes, the figure would have narrowed them. Had it possessed hands, it'd have held them out to cradle the distant silhouette of planet Earth. Here, in this long forgotten time, there was no one who could—even in dreams—stand against the dark infinity of the black pinpoint. Here, no one could resist the power of the Void.

"And if the Sailor Senshi should try...they too shall become likened to the future they wish to preserve. Wrapped in black, so wicked and so deep that even darkness seeks the light," The pinpoint was still merely atomic in size...but within time it would grow. In the time it would take their journey to complete, it will have reached maturity and the Void could be free once again. The blackness gurgled and a great, soundless moan echoed throughout its depths. Mirthless, it'd have nodded if it had a head, and faded away, returning to the blackness. Its subordinate would be arriving on this primitive Earth shortly.

XxXxX

Just within the limits of Earth's atmosphere, a blinding flash of light gave birth to a great crystalline palace, something vaguely resembling a twenty pointed diamond. The palace gave off an eerie, iridescent glow. Deep within this futuristic structure, a tall, powerful woman wrapped in a slick, latex like black garment with long purple hair sat on a throne of silver, encrusted with a thousand shades of amethyst and lapis lazuli. Behind her throne, a crystal altar had been constructed, a great pillar that rose to form a circle. At the center of the circle floated a small fragment of a stone so wicked, it devoured the light that came near it. The woman, Lady Lavender the Mistress of the Vile Crystal Palace, steepled her fingers as her minions appeared before her, one by one.

The first, Tanga, was a slight woman, appearing to be little more than a prepubescent girl. She had bright orange hair, chopped off haphazardly at her shoulders. She wore what was the standard uniform of Lavender's generals, a white leotard with knee high black boots, elbow-length black gloves and a gold-rimmed black chest plate. She bowed promptly upon making her appearance, frowning deeply and gulping.

The second to appear, Lima, was a lanky woman with blue hair cropped short and spiked, in an almost masculine fashion. She was far taller than Tanga, though perhaps shorter than Lady Lavender herself. She too wore a general's armor, and bowed with a bit more of a leisurely pace, a lazy smile on her lips. The third, Jezal, stood only to Lima's shoulder, with light green hair that came to the middle of her back, though her bangs had been spiked up completely. She wore an arrogant smirk, bowing curtly before standing up straight and putting her hands on her hips.

"Lady Lavender, we've successfully arrived one thousand years in the past. Long before the construction of Crystal Tokyo," Tanga reported, standing up straight and wincing under the Lady's dark glare. Lady Lavender rose, her alien uniform writhing almost as though it were a living creature, and approached a massive window at the far side of the throne room. From there she looked down on Earth, her scowl curling up into a vicious leer. Her three generals joined her side, also gazing upon Earth in a predatory fashion.

"Perfect...the 20th century...so long before Neo-Queen Serenity stood in our way. These...pitiful and immature senshi will be no match for us now," Jezal smirked and crossed her arms, huffing.

"As if they were truly a match in our time, we're simply cutting back on energy by doing this the easy way," Lady Lavender's smirk grew more devilish, her costume tightening and changing ever so slightly. Though her generals didn't notice, the suit extended, covering her neck and rising up to cover her ears as well. Then a fierce rasping sound echoed in Lady Lavender's ears.

"Yes, in this world we can nourish the Black Vile Crystal, here we can go all but unopposed in seeking the luscious spirit force it desires," Tanga perked up from her place at the translucent crystal window, her hand pressed firmly against it.

"Perhaps we could even...find the Princess Soul, and feed Serenity herself to the Black Vile Crystal?" Lady Lavender's suit tightened and hissed louder in her ears, though still only she could hear it.

"That's brilliant...find the future queen and her soul should be more than enough to completely mature the Black Vile Crystal. Then we'll see the power it relinquishes..." The three generals trembled. Lady Lavender infused with the true power of the Black Vile Crystal...not even a thousand Sailor Senshi could stand against that kind of might.

XxXxX

Hotaru Tomoe sighed and kicked her feet as she made the trek home from Juuban Elementary School. The days had gone by like years recently, and seemed to be growing ever longer as the distance between when they last met fell even further away. Her new life was far from miserable, but still held a certain degree of loneliness that a thousand years without her best friend brought about. Her parents were wonderful, more than she'd ever thought she could deserve. Pharaoh 90 was light years away, Galaxia was quickly becoming a distant form vanishing over the horizon and it seemed as though the peace was impregnable. But that meant so little when facing the sunlight alone.

"It's not fair...by the time I see her again, I'll be grown up and she'll be just a baby," Hotaru pouted childishly, though she knew she should at least try to act somewhat mature. Still, one key ingredient to loneliness was a lack of companionship, which meant no one was going to reprimand her behavior. May as well get it out of her system before arriving home.

A dazzling flash of pink flew across her eyes, snapping Hotaru back to reality. She gasped and quickly spun in the direction of the flash, spotting it just as it whisked around the corner. Hotaru sprang into action, rushing with an unfamiliar sense of adrenaline that even her battles scarcely awakened in her. Though she was breathless and tired upon rounding the corner, her efforts proved in vain. The figure had long since vanished. Still, Hotaru knew that brief sparkle of pink by heart.

"Chibiusa..." Maybe she wasn't as alone as she had previously thought she was.

XxXxX

"Mamoru..." Mamoru winced and tiredly forced his eyes open. He awoke with a start when greeted by empty blackness. He tried to stand but the black was so thick, he couldn't tell which was was up, down, even left or right. He felt weightless, yet weighed down by a thousand tons. And the longer he stared into the blackness, the more he could swear the blackness was staring back.

"What is..." When he breathed, it felt as though he was breathing in oil. The blackness shifted and a great groan rang out, assaulting all of his senses. Mamoru fell to his knees, or rose to his feet, and grabbed his head, screaming. No sound escaped his lips even as blackness descending on him, seeking to destroy him.

"Mamoru!" Mamoru's eyes snapped open and he woke with a start, breathing heavily, grateful that air filled his lungs instead of heaviness. He cautiously looked down at the loving, concerned blue eyes staring up at him. He relaxed visibly and smiled, regaining his bearings. He and Usagi were at his apartment, on his couch watching a movie. He must have fallen asleep. "Mamoru are you alright? You were moaning in your sleep...I was getting worried," Mamoru chuckled and wrapped his arms around Usagi, pulling her close and pressing his lips against hers.

"Everything is fine Usako, I must have had a bad dream...but it's all over now that I'm with you again," Usagi blushed and snuggled into Mamoru's embrace, giggling gleefully.

"Aw, you're so sweet! You always know just what to say to make a girl feel special!" Mamoru held her close and smiled, his mind already miles away. Something about his dream had felt familiar. The entire time he had felt something pulsing inside him. The Golden Crystal, it had shown him that dream. The Earth was in danger and was trying to warn him. Just what the danger was, he hadn't the foggiest idea.

"Mamoru! You're so spacey lately!" Mamoru blinked and looked down at Usagi. He laughed sheepishly and scratched his head.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" Usagi huffed childishly and puffed her cheeks out.

"I was just asking about your dream...do you want to talk about it?" Mamoru honestly considered her offer, but in the end shook his head.

"No Usako, nothing to worry yourself over," Usagi looked ready to protest, but another kissed cut her short. Before his lips ever left hers, Mamoru's nightmare had long been forgotten.

XxXxX

Rei knelt before the sacred fire, deep in prayer. Though on the outside there seemed to be nothing ill at ease with the world, she'd had a nagging suspicion tugging at the back of her mind for several days now. Less than twenty-four hours ago, she'd spoken to Mamoru, who had voiced his own concerns in regard to the current wave of peace. His troubles had matched her own, and in hoping to prevent their being caught unaware, Rei sought the mystical flame's guidance.

"Great Fire...what is this feeling that troubles not only myself, but also the once and future prince of this world? I implore you, show me the answer!" Rei opened her eyes and gasped as the floor beneath her gave way and she plunged through a sea of fire into an empty realm of darkness. No not darkness, black pure and simple. No light could be found, nor could Rei so much as get a sense of being in the dark. All around her, it seemed as though the void itself was alive and moving.

'What is this place? Is this...' Rei gasped, pulling the black into her lungs and nearly choking the life from her. Deeper still in the void, Rei could see a distant shape. The planet Earth, once shimmering and beautiful, was now cold and dead, completely devoured by the blackness. Rei began to feel safer when a great and powerful silver light spread out and began to force away the void. The Earth began to glow, casting on the void a mighty golden glow that joined with the silver light.

'The Silver Crystal and Golden Crystal, they're chasing away the black...no...no!' The void collapsed on the silver and gold lights, engulfing and devouring them as it had the entire planet Earth. Rei screamed until her eyes opened again, and she found herself sitting before the great fire.

"No...no this can't happen," Rei sucked air into her starved lungs, doubling over and coughing, "No we're all in danger, I c-can't allow this to come to pass!"

XxXxX

Usagi, Ami, Minako and Makoto were all en route for the temple upon the completion of the school day. The fiery senshi had called for an emergency meeting, and had seemed terribly frantic. Despite this, the princess herself managed to remain relatively unfazed, yawning mightily as she stretched.

"What do you think this meeting is about? I seriously doubt we have a new enemy all ready...that just wouldn't even be fair!" Ami rolled her eyes and clutched her book bag tighter, narrowing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Rei seemed...frightened when she contacted us. It would be unlike her to make such a fuss about nothing," Minako frowned and slumped, groaning pitifully.

"That's true...but maybe she could, just this once? I'm really not ready to let go of being normal yet," Makoto rolled her eyes and wrapped a friendly arm around Minako's shoulders.

"Oh c'mon, being normal is overrated! Besides I could go for a could fight about now! I still can't find a boyfriend and need something to take my frustration out on!" Makoto punched the air and Minako laughed, lifting a finger and waggling it in Makoto's face.

"You know Makoto, you should be careful what you count before it leaps!" The other three senshi came to a complete stop, staring at Minako who slowly became aware that she must have said something crazy. Usagi scratched her cheek and tug her toe into the ground.

"Minako...was that supposed to make sense?" Minako huffed and crossed her arms, puffing up her cheeks.

"What? You know what I meant," Ami blinked and sighed, giggling.

"We know what you meant Minako...but I don't think one should require a degree in Minako-isms to make conversation," Minako shrugged and hurried ahead of the others.

"Whatever! C'mon let's not keep Rei waiting!" The others traded bemused glances before hurrying after the blond senshi

XxXxX

Juuban Square grew colder as a faint burst of light, unnoticed by the casual passersby, revealed Tanga, arms crossed and lips pursed. She bit her thumb and looked about the location, nodding slowly.

"This place should be good as any to begin...oh of course, we're to be searching for the Princess Soul now," Tanga sighed and frowned, unfazed when a dark mass leaked from her shadow and grew into a dark beast in the shadows.

"Soldier, begin gathering the spirit energy needed to nourish the Black Vile Crystal. You'll be handsomely rewarded should you locate the Princess Soul," The creature gave a crackling, snarling response as it faded back into the shadows. Tanga bit her thumb again—out of habit rather than nerves—and gazed down at Juuban square. Even if Soldier failed to find the Princess Soul, it would more than assuredly attract the Sailor Senshi. Then they'd at least be out of the way. Tanga nodded and win another faint flash of light, was gone.

The Soldier; however, had not returned to the Crystal Palace. Lurking in shadows, it had begun to stalk a young girl with curly blond hair and big blue eyes, a reasonable fact simile for Queen Serenity. Occasionally, she came to a halt and nervously peered about, at least subconsciously sensing its presence. The Soldier, nonplussed at the idea of discovery, continued to track her, merging with her own shadow.

The young girl stopped again and looked around, her lips trembling. She knew someone was watching her, following her, but she couldn't see anyone. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she clutched her book bag tighter and hustled on her journey home. Just as she passed by the alleyway where Tanga had stood just moments before, the Soldier made its move. Leaping from her own shadow, it viciously tugged her into the black alley, its crackling snarl intermixed with her own screams of horror.  
"Let me go! What are you?!" The girl managed to inquire between screams. The Soldier had pinned her down, its face dangerously close to hers. In the darkness, she couldn't make out its features, but knew just by that crackling, animalistic growl that it wasn't human. All thought ceased in her mind when she felt a set of freezing tendrils sink into her chest. She screamed, but it was quickly cut short when an icy glaze rushed through her entire body. The Soldier rose, and with it rose a shimmering, dull white mist.

The Soldier stared into the mist for several minutes before crackling and opening its maw, ready to pull the mist into its self, and into the Black Vile Crystal. It halted when a searing disc collided with its back, knocking it forward slightly. Crackling and snarling the Soldier slowly turned, the mist returning to its host body.

"Hold it you...whatever you are!" The Soldier, still cloaked in the shadows, faced down the five teenage girls now standing across from it. Its predatory growl grew heavier as it glared them down. The middle one, clearly unnerved by the lack of determinable response, gulped and narrowed her eyes.

"We will not forgive you for harming an innocent girl on her way home from school! I am the soldier of love and justice, Sailor Moon! And in the name of the moon," The girl struck a pose, pointing an accusatory finger at the Soldier, "I will punish you!" The other four readied themselves, also taken back by the lack of response from the Soldier.

"And we're the Sailor Team!" They chorused, "We will punish you too!" The Soldier's growl grew louder and slowly it began to walk to the edge of the shadows, until finally stepping into the light. The Sailor Senshi gasped and drew back from the monstrosity. The Soldier was at least eight feet tall, perhaps more because it was slouched over, its arms dangling near its knees. Its skin was all black, built like jagged and powerful armor. Its hands had three bone talons, each nearly a foot long, its feet were sheathed in boot-like armor, and its head appeared to have taken the shape of a dark helmet, long points rising from the top like ears. It bore no eyes, and no visible mouth.

"W-What in the world is this thing!? Is that a daemon?" Sailor Venus stuttered out, tightening her focus, all of them on the edge and ready for anything. Sailor Mercury was already hard at work, attempting to scan the Soldier, but as it stood her visor couldn't make heads or tails of the monster.

"This doesn't make sense...I have no idea what it is!" Sailor Mars jumped forward when the Soldier made a sudden movement.

"Look out! Mars Burning Mandala!" The Soldier fell apart like water and melted into the ground before the blazing attack could connect. It leapt up from Sailor Mars' shadow, striking her from behind and knocking her to the ground, breathless.

"Sailor Mars! Jupiter Sparkling Wide Pressure!" Sailor Jupiter's fist, glowing with sparking electricity, collided with the Soldier, an explosive flash blinding everyone around them. Her scream was heard when the light faded and revealed her on her back, her uniform torn across the stomach.

"Venus Crescent Beam, Smash!" The Soldier melted into the ground again before Sailor Venus' attack could hit. It rose up from Sailor Moon's shadow, and prepared to bring its claws down on her. A sharp sound rang out and the Soldier stumbled backward, howling in an unearthly voice. Sailor Moon looked down at the rose then gasped as Tuxedo Mask landed in front of her, shielding her from the now enraged Soldier.

"Tuxedo Mask!" The hero in question narrowed his eyes as the Soldier regained its composure, now snarling once more.

"Stay on guard Sailor Senshi! This monster...its presence alone has the Earth trembling!" The Soldier splashed into the ground, leaving the six heroes on guard, wondering just whose shadow it would rise up from this time. The question was answered just as Sailor Mercury's visor gave a beep of confirmation.

"I think I have an-" She screamed and dove forward, whipping around and staring up at the Soldier, its mask pulled back and deadly maw open, revealing an infinite number of fangs.

"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" The aquatic attack slammed the Soldier, who advanced undeterred on its decided prey. Mercury climbed to her feet and backed away slowly, her hands up and ready to defend herself.

"Mars Flame Sniper!"

"Jupiter Oak Evolution!" The twin attacks, spiraling fire and lightning, came flying at the Soldier, who barked out a vicious howl before melting into the ground, avoiding the attacks.

"Dammit! He's too fast! How are we supposed to beat this thing!?" The Soldier rose up, directly beneath Sailor Jupiter, hefting her into the air and hurling her across the street, colliding with a street lamp. Dazed she dropped to the ground, groaning in pain.

"Sailor Jupiter!" Mercury glared at the monster, her visor having finally come up with a reasonable solution. Unfortunately the Soldier wasn't ready to cease its strike, and had advanced on Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask.

"Venus Love Me Chain!" The attack wrapped around the Soldier, bringing him to an abrupt stop. The Soldier screamed, a hideous and painful sound, before melting into the ground. It rose up within the same second, backhanding Sailor Venus and knocking her through a glass window. Now snarling and howling it advanced on her with the speed of a cobra.

"Mars Celestial Fire, Surround!" The Soldier howled again when the attack collided with it. Melting into the ground it vanished from sight, though they could still hear its crackling snarl, coming from every direction.

"It has an aversion to all sources of light! Mars, with Venus and Jupiter out of commission you're the only one that can slow this thing down for Sailor Moon to finish it!" Sailor Mars nodded, then screamed and fell backward. An arm shot from the shadows of the alley and caught her tight in its grasp, lifting her high into the air.

"World Shaking!" Mars gasped in air when the attack hit the appendage, causing it to completely melt away. Sailor Moon looked up with a grateful smile, seeing the last half of the team coming to their aid.

"The Outer Senshi!" Sailor Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and Saturn joined the fray, standing protectively around Sailor Moon. Mars, now helping Venus stand, and Mercury—providing the same relief to Sailor Jupiter—joined them all as the Soldier began to howl, enraged and perhaps even frightened by its predicament.

"What in the world are we fighting?" Sailor Neptune questioned, grimacing and steadying herself as the Soldier stalked out of the shadows once again. Sailor Saturn gulped and took a step back, holding her glaive up defensively.

"This creature...I sense unimaginable evil within it," Sailor Mars muttered, while Sailor Pluto placed a hand on Saturn's shoulder, calming her fears.

"Tuxedo Mask...said something...about the Earth," Sailor Venus managed to stammer. Tuxedo Mask nodded, brandishing another rose.

"Its presence alone has the entire planet trembling. This thing should not be," The Soldier howled and prepared to charge them one final time when a new cry rang out.

"Moon Tiara Magic Trap!" A shimmering disc of light shot out, as if from nowhere, and expanded, wrapping itself around the Soldier. The creature began to scream, violently struggling against the tie that now bound it.

"What are you waiting for?! Finish it Sailor Moon!" Sailor Moon yelped, looking around for the source of the voice. Tuxedo Mask placed a hand on her shoulder. Nodding, Sailor Moon brandished her scepter and leveled it with the Soldier.

"Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!" The Soldier's scream was unbearable, as the glimmering moonlight completely tore it apart. The threat gone, the Sailor Senshi turned to their savior. A young girl—perhaps fourteen years old—with long pink pigtails wearing a Sailor uniform with a pink skirt. Sailor Saturn broke free from the fold and nearly tackled the heroine in a crushing—or as crushing as the frail girl could manage—hug.

"Chibiusa! You've come back!

XxXxX

"Chibiusa you came back? But why...and how are you so much older?!" Usagi stared in shock at her future daughter, who now looked only a little younger, if not the same age, as Usagi herself. Chibiusa grinned and brushed her bangs out of her face. The Sailor Team, along with Tuxedo Mask, had adjourned to Rei's temple to discuss the recent turn of events. Chibiusa's sudden appearance, along with the appearance of that creature. Luna and Artemis were contacted and had been waiting for the team's return. Now the inquisition was underway.

"Well, it's only been a few months to you since I left; however, I'm a Chibiusa from even further into the future, I'm fourteen now," Hotaru sat close to her best friend, awestruck by her sudden maturation. Luna was seated on Ami's lap, looking over the Mercury computer's scans of the enemy that they had just finished fighting. Artemis was seated in Minako's lap, watching his partner carefully.

"Why have you returned Chibiusa? Surely it must have something to do with that...thing the senshi were fighting!" Chibiusa nodded and tapped her chin, thinking back to the specifics of the monster.

"Yeah, it does have to do with that thing...it's from the future," Mamoru narrowed his eyes, glancing away. He felt suddenly ill, perhaps something to do with that creature.

"What exactly was it? Just who is this new enemy?" He finally asked, moments before Haruka could ask the same question. Chibiusa crossed her arms, a similar expression to the one Mamoru wore on her features.

"That particular monster...I think it was called Soldier. I've had very little actual encounter with the enemy, Mother has tried to keep confrontation at a minimum," Makoto leaned forward, noting the similar looks of discomfort on Chibiusa and Mamoru's face's.

"What was it after? When we arrived there was this mist coming from the girl it had attacked," Chibiusa grinned—a forced, painful grin—and sat up straight.

"That much I do know. The enemy is gathering what it calls 'spirit force' for a gemstone called the 'Black Vile Crystal'," Luna and Artemis traded a look, then stared back at Chibiusa with curious glances.

"The Black Vile Crystal? What exactly is that?" Chibiusa pursed her lips, looking away and narrowing her eyes.

"From what little information we've recovered...its a gemstone that started all of this. It's something of a long story, but I'll see if I can tell you everything. During a space exploration mission, a shuttle was knocked out of its path by an unknown force. Only one astronaut survived the impact on a deserted asteroid on the edge of the solar system. Her name was Lavender Ishtar, and it was on that asteroid she came into contact with the Black Vile Crystal. It transformed her and gave her terrible power," Chibiusa stopped and took a breath, looking down.

"She used the Black Vile Crystal to create a massive satellite palace called the Vile Crystal Palace, which is probably now orbiting the Earth in this time period," Chibiusa looked up, her eyes narrowed, "Lavender is gathering spirit force to further increase the power of the crystal. Only my mother has been able to oppose her," Minako nodded, petting Artemis out of habit.

"Using the power of the Silver Crystal...so they came back to our time in hopes that Serenity wouldn't stand in their way?" Chibiusa nodded, then slouched and sighed miserably.

"Unfortunately, this enemy's power is unreal. Though they've retreated to the past, an infinite number of...'starless', creatures like the Soldier, are continuing to decimate my time period. The Senshi and their husbands, the Sailor Knights, have all but given their lives in holding them off. I came back to the past, at the wishes of Sailor Pluto herself, in hopes that maybe, just maybe we could find a way to stop Lavender," The senshi seemed unenthusiastic at the idea of stopping Lavender. An enemy that even their future selves could barely hold off?

"How can we help though? We were barely able to beat that Soldier monster! We can't win this!" Usagi wailed, drawing a small sigh from the temple priestess.

"Relax Crybaby, we'll find a way out of this. We thought Galaxia was invincible and we somehow managed to stop her," Mamoru nodded and wrapped a comforting arm around Usagi's shoulders...yet somehow he felt unmoved at all by Rei's claim. Maybe it was the Earth sickness inside him. It was worse now than it had been in the face of the Dead Moon Circus.

"Alone...I don't think you have a chance at all of stopping Lavender, but Puu had a plan. That's why she sent me to the past. There are reinforcements in the future, whose aid we'll need if we're going to even think about opposing Lavender. The only problem is...for the most part they refused to return because their training isn't complete. I need you to come back to the future with me to help convince them to help us," Setsuna balked and tried to maintain a calm demeanor.

"My...my future self told you this?! That is such a severe violation of the laws of time travel, I can't allow this!" Chibiusa winced and rubbed her head sheepishly.

"Sorry Puu...but there is no other way. If we don't get their help, we have no chance of stopping Lavender," Michiru placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, seeing that Setsuna was ready to argue further.

"Setsuna, I'm sure that this must be the only option if your future self is willing to resort to such a desperate option," Setsuna lowered her eyes and sighed in defeat. Haruka crossed her arms and leaned back, her eyes on Chibiusa's face. Occasionally her gaze drifted to Mamoru. Like Makoto she'd noticed the pained similarities in the two.

"When do we leave Chibiusa?" Chibiusa looked around at the other senshi, nodding. Makoto and Minako in particular seemed to still be recovering from the fight nicely. Still, to leave so soon may draw Lavender's attention. She'd nearly been caught leaving.

"First thing tomorrow morning, we have to...tread carefully this time," The senshi nodded and the meeting turned to further planning. Chibiusa tried to focus, but the pounding in her heart had become nearly deafening. She felt a gentle squeeze on her hand and looked down at Hotaru, who was smiling up at her warmly. Chibiusa smiled back and gave her friend another hug, so pleased to see her as a child again.

Mamoru, even more so than Chibiusa, was distracted. His chest was tight, breath came at a physical expense. Yet he hid it, kept it planted firmly behind a resolute mask. The Senshi needed Tuxedo Mask to be strong and vigilant, Sailor Moon needed her lover to be an immovable pillar of strength. If he could do nothing else, he'd always be the strength she needed to conquer the darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Allies from Tomorrow**

All too soon for some, far too late for others, the senshi gathered at the temple and at Chibiusa's beckoning, were sent flying into the future with the aid of a time key. Swimming in a sea of intermixing blue and black, their minds, bodies, and souls disconnected for a momentous eternity, the Sailor Team arrived in the 30th century largely intact. Here, gazing out over a horizon of darkness, they stared into the battleground that tomorrow had become.

"Oh gods, this place looks terrible.." Sailor Mars muttered as they began the trek to the Crystal Palace. All around them, great creatures, dwarfing the Soldier they'd battled, tore from the shadows and waged war on the protective dome surrounding the Crystal Palace. Though they were at the ready for any sign of attack or even the slightest growl, the shadow beasts ignored them, instead focusing all of their energy on the shimmering globe.

"That forcefield is the last ditch effort the Sailor Senshi and Sailor Knights of this time have made to protect my mother and father. There are too many of these creatures for them to even attempt a head on battle," Chibiusa—the only one of the group who hadn't transformed—lowered her eyes and grimaced, unable to look at her family as the group passed through the field and into the palace itself.

"It seems like the future is always so...bleak when we visit. Why can't we ever be here to see what it looks like when things aren't so bad?" Sailor Moon whined, stopping and turning to look around at the future selves of her closest friends. Tuxedo Mask stopped and put a hand on her shoulder.

"They don't need our interference when things are peaceful...until the day comes that we live their lives, I doubt we'll ever see them in peacetime," Sailor Moon slouched and sighed, nodding.

"I guess you're right...it just makes the future seem so dark," She turned into Tuxedo Mask's embrace and the two held tightly for a moment. Sailor Uranus stopped and turned back to the two, frowning a bit, wishing she didn't have to disturb the moment.

"Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Mask, we should be on our way," Tuxedo Mask nodded and gestured for Sailor Uranus to go on. Sailor Uranus hesitated, then nodded and quickly rejoined the group. Tuxedo Mask lifted Sailor Moon's chin and looked into her watery blue eyes.

"We can't waste time...the sooner we return, the sooner we can save our future," Sailor Moon nodded and wiped her eyes then, taking Tuxedo Mask's hand, the two hurried back to catch the Sailor Team. The palace was eerily silent, devoid of all signs of life. Chibiusa shivered and wrapped her arms around herself.

"When the Sailor Senshi left to create the forcefield, everyone in the palace was restricted to their quarters by royal decree," Sailor Mercury, walking beside Chibiusa, gently placed a hand on the girl's arm. Chibiusa jumped slightly, but offered the blue senshi a grateful smile.

"Sorry, it's just so strange to see everything...so lifeless around here. Usually with the kids running around..." Sailor Jupiter perked up at Chibiusa's slip.

"Kids? There are kids running around the palace?" Chibiusa laughed and scratched her head, gritting her teeth.

"Oh man...had an Usagi moment..." Sailor Moon fumed, but Tuxedo Mask held back her retort, "Yeah...your kids are always running around, laughing, playing...I used to think it was a little annoying, now I miss it," The Senshi all stopped. Their kids? Often as they tried to think about their future, such a blunt reminder that someday they could all be parents was so...enlightening.

"Our kids?" Chibiusa stopped in front of a door, taking a deep breath and turning to smile at her entourage.

"Yes, in fact they're the very reason you're here. They are in training to become my guardian team. I brought you here to convince them to return to the past to aid us," Chibiusa turned away from their dumbstruck expressions and stared at the door, biting her bottom lip and praying this was the right thing to do. "I've decided...I'll take you each to your quarters in a certain order..." Sailor Venus tapped her chin as they gathered around the door.

"An order? What do you mean Chibiusa?" Chibiusa took another deep breath and slowly let it out.

"Some of you will need way more time than the others, I'm going to drop the senshi who will have the hardest work ahead of them off first," The senshi traded a series of glances. Chibiusa pursed her lips then nodded and opened the door all the way, stepping inside and beckoning the others to follow her. As they entered, the senshi couldn't help but wonder: whose child was going to be the most difficult?

_Part 1: Koichi_

The answer came almost immediately and Sailor Mars couldn't help crossing her arms and swallowing the lump in her throat. The quarters themselves were designed like her own home back in the 20th century. Chibiusa had stopped in front of a very specific door and looked apprehensive about continuing. Sailor Mars stopped beside her and lowered her head, glancing at the princess.

"Chibiusa...it's my daughter right? The difficult one," Chibiusa blinked and turned to Sailor Mars with a very confused look in her eyes. She blinked again then giggled softly, a humorless sound, and shook her head.

"It's...your child, that part is right," Chibiusa sighed and raised her hand to knock on the door, but before she could the group heard a young voice yell out in frustration.

"Darn it!! Why won't it ever work!? Why won't you show me anything?! What am I doing wrong?!" Chibiusa blushed and pinched the bridge of her nose. The senshi had been able to divine several things from the outburst, one thing in particular. Chibiusa shook her head and slid the door open, knocking as she stepped inside. The child, who looked about eight years old, started and fell forward yelping loudly and whipping around to stare at the intruder with a terrified look.

"Hey Koichi, I'm back from the past," The little boy was breathing heavily, the corners of his purple eyes—which were halfway covered by his very long bangs—moist and red. He quickly wiped his eyes and stood up, trying to gulp down the lump in his throat. His dark purple hair was long, cropped off just below his ears, but neatly combed and meticulously taken care of. He crossed his arms and looked down, sniffling and clenching his teeth—obviously trying to stop crying from before. Sailor Mars stared in shock at the timid little boy.

"Hi Usagi...I didn't hear you c-come in..." His voice was very soft, nothing like any of the senshi would have expected from Rei's son. He looked up and saw Sailor Mars and had to clench his teeth tighter. "M-Mama! I..." he hesitated, looking around, primarily at Chibiusa. Chibiusa rolled her eyes and smirked, turning her head away, humoring Koichi. Koichi quickly ran forward and threw his arms around Sailor Mars' waist, breathing quickly and hiccuping.

"Mama! I thought you...but the fight...I was s...so worried but M...Mama!!" Koichi just hugged Sailor Mars even tighter, crying again though fighting valiantly to stop.

"M-mama?" Chibiusa smiled and ruffled Koichi's hair tenderly. She knelt down next to him and beamed when Koichi peeked away from Sailor Mars' uniform to look at the princess.

"Rei, Sailor Mars, I'd like you to meet your future son, Koichi Hino," Sailor Mars' breath caught in her throat as the little boy looked up at her, his misty purple eyes staring into hers with such unconditional emotion. She couldn't help herself kneeling down and hugging him back tightly. Koichi buried his face in her shoulder, muttering just loud enough for Mars to hear.

"I missed you Mama...please don't go away..." Sailor Mars' heart swelled and without warning she hugged the little boy even tighter. Chibiusa smiled and placed a hand on Sailor Mars' shoulder.

"Koichi is training to become a Sailor Knight. Right now, he's Chibi Mars Knight...or just M. Knight," Sailor Mars pulled away and looked at Koichi, who blushed ashamedly and buried his face in her shoulder again. Chibiusa sighed and patted Sailor Mars on the back as she headed out.

"Good luck Rei...you'll need it," The others left, leaving the future mother and son alone. Finally Sailor Mars took the time to really take in the room. Immediately before her lay the great fire itself.

"You were doing a fire reading before we came in?" Koichi pulled away and, dragging his feet, walked back to the fire and plopped down on the floor in front of it, legs crossed and chin resting on his hand.

"I...I was trying to, but it never works for me! I never see anything when I try to talk to it!" Koichi ruffled his own hair and took a deep breath, restraining himself from throwing another fit. Sailor Mars knelt down next to Koichi and put an arm around his shoulders. The little boy slouched even more and sighed miserably.

"It's wonderful to meet you...to think that someday I'll have such a handsome son," Koichi blushed and rubbed his eyes, looking away. Sailor Mars laughed and smiled gently. "Chibiusa said you were training to become a Sailor Knight," She blinked, startled when Koichi suddenly sniffled and dropped his head, moaning.

"Not really...I go to practices but...I usually just get in the way..." Sailor Mars gave a wry smile, hoping she could alleviate his worries.

"Well...you sound a lot like Sailor Moon in that case," Koichi just groaned and and looked away, blushing more.

"Aunt Serenity said that once...she was just lying to make me feel better. I'm barely even a Chibi Knight, I'm just a big...Tetsuo said something...I don't remember it was a big word...lying billy tee or something like that..." Liability, Sailor Mars thought bitterly. Someone, another Chibi Knight, had actually told her son that?

"Koichi...I'm sure that's not true. You just need to keep working hard and believe in yourself. I actually came to the future to ask you to come to the past with me. Lavender has shown up in our time and we," Sailor Mars jumped slightly when the little boy began to shake his head fiercely.

"No! No! I can't help you! I don't know how to fight, my powers don't even work! No I'll just get everyone hurt!" Sailor Mars frowned and hugged her son, who was despite his own protests beginning to cry again.

"Koichi if you don't come back...there's no way we can win," Koichi shook his head and hiccuped, his cries becoming more pronounced.

"I can't...I'm no good at this, I'll just get in the way, all I ever do is get in the way!" How in the world was this kid her son? He was so fragile...Chibiusa was right, she did have a hard job ahead of her, and they didn't have forever.

_Part 2: Jun_

As the senshi left the Martian quarters, one thought weighed heavily on the minds of all the remaining Sailor Senshi. It was finally Sailor Uranus who broke the silence and asked the question everyone was thinking.

"Chibiusa, are you sure that was Rei's kid?" Sailor Neptune blushed and hit her partner lightly.

"Uranus..." Sailor Uranus shrugged and put a hand on her hip as they continued the trek to the next stop.

"I have a really hard time believing it, that's all," Chibiusa chuckled and nodded, grinning back at the outer senshi.

"Everyone who knows Rei always asks that. Yes Koichi is definitely her son, her future self would tell you that the pregnancy from Hell didn't end in a mix up. He's just..." Chibiusa stopped momentarily, scratching her head. "Is there a way to have negative self esteem? Confidence is to Koichi as water is to a desert, there's just none there," Chibiusa frowned and continued walking again, slouching.

"It's sad, he's a great kid...a really sweet little guy. But man, the others give him no slack for being a little...well really sensitive," Chibiusa all but groaned as they finally reached their next destination. This was one door she really, really didn't want to open. Sailor Pluto came up to her, still a little miffed over all of the violations to the time stream they were incurring.

"Chibiusa, are you absolutely certain this is necessary? Surely there must be some alternative, who knows what the repercussions could..." Chibiusa laughed mirthlessly and jerked an accusatory finger at the door that lay before them.

"Trust me Puu...once you meet the person in here you'll understand why Future Puu thought this was necessary," They stood outside the door in tense silence, Chibiusa simply staring at it as if hoping it would resolve itself. Finally getting impatient, Sailor Jupiter cleared her throat.

"Chibiusa are we going to just let the world go to Hell while we wait here or are we going inside?" Chibiusa groaned out loud again and doubled over, her fingers touching her toes.

"Do we have to? I really, really don't want to..." Chibiusa straightened up and sighed before knocking on the door, cringing immediately afterward. There was a tense second of silence before a voice called back.

"It's open," Judging by the tone, another boy. Someone else's son. Sailor Mercury tweaked her chin curiously as Chibiusa continued to hesitate entering.

"Another one of our sons I take it? Then why are you so apprehensive, Chibiusa?" Chibiusa grit her teeth and steeled her nerves, opening the door and heading inside quickly, determination in her gaze. The senshi followed, the hall depositing into a spacious living room that was dimly lit, save for a table lamp and a laptop screen. Seated on the couch, his legs stretched out and a book in his lap was a boy of about ten years old. His skin was darker complected, like Setsuna's, and he bore the same maroon eyes and dark green hair, his hair shaggy and disheveled, coming down about halfway over his ears—not nearly as long as Koichi's hair.

"Oh it's you...what do you want?" The boy turned back to his book, ignoring the senshi as they came in. Chibiusa bit her lip, her eyes narrowed and her hands behind her back.

"Hi Jun...how're things?" Jun flipped a page in his book, not even looking up to answer Chibiusa.

"I'm cooped up in my quarters, and surprise, surprise, my parents are gone. I'd say about the same as usual, except now I don't have Kenta to hang with," Chibiusa beamed and gave two thumbs up, before grabbing Sailor Pluto's arm and dragging her closer to the couch.

"Well you're in luck! I brought your mom from the past to talk to you!" Jun finally looked up, making eye contact with Sailor Pluto before casually turning his attention back to his book.

"Woo," He licked his thumb and turned the page, "Hoo," Chibiusa sighed and quickly headed for the door.

"You're on your own Puu," The others left and Sailor Pluto, completely taken aback by her future son's displeasure, took a seat at the end of the couch. Jun pulled his feet back to allow her more room, then glanced at his laptop, quickly typing something in a messaging window before his attention was caught again.

"Jun, you're training to become a Sailor Knight I imagine?" Jun sighed and curtly shut his book, throwing it down on the coffee table, upon which his laptop sat.

"Yeah, I'm putting up with that crap," Sailor Pluto looked away and fiddled with her staff. Her duties as Sailor Pluto didn't require the most spectacular people skills, and Jun was a far cry from Hotaru in terms of her parental experience.

"As the senshi of Pluto and the guardian of the gates of time, I can't say I'm particularly pleased with Chibiusa's choice...though I can understand that it is the only option," Jun sat up and leaned forward on his knees, his chin on his hands.

"What are you talking about?" Sailor Pluto glanced at her son, her lips nearly pursing at the bitterness in his tone.

"Chibiusa has asked that I encourage you to return to the past with us, to fight alongside the Sailor Senshi of the 20th century to stop Lavender and the Black Vile Crystal," Jun leaned back and put his hands behind his head.

"Why would I want to do that?" Sailor Pluto recalled that Chibiusa had said they would be dropped off in order of difficulty, but hadn't been expecting such an outright rejection.

"If this enemy isn't stopped, it would mean the end of both my time and yours. Without the reinforcements Chibiusa has informed us of, which I believe to be you and your teammates, we have no hope of winning," Jun rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"Right, so this isn't an option, just like everything else you've ever thrown at me," Sailor Pluto's expression, already meek was now apologetic, though she wasn't sure why. "First you never being here, then the stupid Sailor Knight crap, the whole destiny spiel, and to top everything off someday I'm going to have to do the same thing to my own kids? Yeah, I've got so many reasons to want to help you," Sailor Pluto lowered her head and took a deep breath.

"Jun I'm...sorry for all that you've had thrown upon you, but none of us wished for this. None of us chose this path," Jun laughed and shook his head, typing something else onto his laptop before turning back to her.

"Not no one..." Sailor Pluto was curious as to what he meant, but didn't push it. Tenderly, carefully, she reached out and put a hand on her wayward son's shoulder.

"Jun...please, if not for me do this for your own future," Jun huffed and slouched then groaned.

"Fine...I'll help, but only if Kenta is helping too," Sailor Pluto smiled. She didn't know who Kenta was, but if she could get Jun to even consider helping, surely Kenta's mother could do the same.

_Part 3: Tetsuo_

"What in the world was his problem?" Sailor Jupiter bluntly asked as the remaining senshi wandered the halls for their next destination. Chibiusa pursed her lips and glanced to the side, shrugging and shaking her head.

"It's really complicated...I suppose it won't hurt to tell you why this is so...difficult. None of your sons really wanted to do this, and for the most part they aren't exactly proactive in their duties," Sailor Moon frowned and lowered her head, looking at Chibiusa with a degree of sympathy.

"None of us wanted to be Sailor Senshi, it was just our destiny," Chibiusa nodded and rubbed her arms, looking around the chilly corridor. The palace seemed colder than it had before, the heating system must have been damaged or malfunctioning.

"We keep trying to tell them that, but they just barely cooperate. Jun is the worst, but that has more to do with his mother than anything else," Sailor Neptune raised an eyebrow, looking back in the direction of the Pluto quarters.

"His mother? How is his attitude Setsuna's fault?" Chibiusa was prepared to respond, but a familiar door coming into view cut off her answer.

"I'll have to explain later, Sailor Mercury these are your quarters," Mercury sighed and nodded, unable to really picture her son. The last two hadn't been anything like their mothers. Chibiusa didn't seem nearly as apprehensive this time, knocking as she opened the door and stepped inside. They were greeted with the furious sound of typing and childish yelling.

In the living room a small boy, close to six years old, was at a desktop computer, grinning broadly as he viciously typed away and laughed boisterously. He had short blue hair, in a bowl cut, and blue eyes that had a certain glint in them as he celebrated whatever he had just accomplished.

"Tetsuo...Tetsuo! Hey Tetsuo!" Chibiusa slapped her forehead and waded through the hundreds of trading cards messily scattered across the living room. When she reached Tetsuo, he finally noticed that he wasn't alone anymore.

"Huh? Oh hey Princess, sorry living vicariously through the web!" He grinned and returned his attention to the screen, "At this rate I'll have achieved a fourth level master ranking in just a fortnight! Oh man, the greenhorns on this server just can't handle my strategic genius!" Chibiusa rolled her eyes and turned Tetsuo's head toward Sailor Mercury, who grinned sheepishly and waved. Tetsuo gulped and laughing apologetically, stood up and looked around at the messy living room.

"Mommy! Uh...about the mess um...well uh...hey wait, you aren't my mommy, she's out projecting the forcefield with the others," Tetsuo's nervous smile drooped and with a droll sigh he sat back down, crossing his arms. "Usagi why have you brought my mommy from the past? Isn't that against Sailor Pluto's time travel laws and regulations?" Chibiusa shook her head and walked for the door, stopping beside Sailor Mercury and putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Your intellect never ceases to amaze, Tetsuo," She muttered sarcastically, "I brought her to speak with you about something important, listen to her even if she isn't your mother yet," Tetsuo stopped mockingly mimicking Chibiusa when the pink-haired princess glared at him. He rolled his eyes and nodded, sticking his tongue out at her when she left with the others. Sailor Mercury stared, balking at her son's behavior.

"That wasn't very nice, Tetsuo. You shouldn't stick your tongue out at people," Tetsuo sighed and nodded.

"Yeah sorry...I'm simply a little testy from being sheltered and isolated for so long now," Sailor Mercury nodded and sat down on the couch while Tetsuo closed out the program he'd been messing with. The blue-haired senshi looked around at the mess, cautiously picking up one of the cards and looking at it.

"This is interesting," She mused, which perked Tetsuo up in a flash.

"Yeah! Intraverse Contra is the greatest card game ever! I'm ranked twenty-fifth in the world!" Sailor Mercury beamed with pride.

"That's very impressive...you certainly seem very intelligent for your age," Tetsuo grinned and puffed out his chest.

"Yeah, I'm a pretty sharp cookie. If I'm not mistaken I have a measured IQ of at least four hundred," Sailor Mercury was stunned then smiled again. He was her son, even if he was a bit of a scamp. Tetsuo sighed and brushed his bangs back, his hair falling exactly into place as it had been before. "But you certainly weren't brought here to meet me..." Sailor Mercury nodded and folded her hands on her lap. So far Tetsuo didn't seem that difficult.

"I was brought to the future to ask that you return with me, as Chibi Mercury Knight, to aid us against Lavender and the Black Vile Crystal," Tetsuo blinked and cringed, scratching his head.

"Eh...that seems terribly illogical, I can't imagine what would have possessed Chibiusa and brought her to the conclusion that our insertion into this conflict could resolve anything," Sailor Mercury didn't respond, but inside felt largely the same way. How their children could make that big a difference was beyond her.

"I understand, however, it was originally the Sailor Pluto of your time's idea. I believe her to be the better judge of possibility than Chibiusa," Tetsuo nodded, cocking his head.

"While that is true...it simply isn't possible...it doesn't make logical sense..." Sailor Mercury stood and walked over to the little boy, kneeling beside him and putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I know it seems difficult, but it is our only chance to save the world. We need you and the other Chibi Knights to assist us," Tetsuo weighed the options and put his fingers to his chin.

"Well...I guess...there's not too much choice in the matter, though is there?" Sailor Mercury paused then shook her head.

"No Tetsuo...there is always a choice in the matter," Tetsuo shrugged and turned back to his computer, leaning on the desk. He then turned and shrugged at Sailor Mercury once again.

"I suppose...it can't hurt more than sitting here and waiting it out, I'll help," Sailor Mercury beamed, proud of her future son's decision. Now all they needed to do was get him ready.

_Part 4: Kenta_

"Chibiusa, about Setsuna," Chibiusa shook her head and gave Sailor Neptune and apologetic glance.

"Sorry I was starting to say too much, I can't tell you," Neptune opened her mouth to protest, halting only when a hand touched her shoulder. She looked at Uranus, who only kept her face forward. The look in her eyes was one of understanding. Sailor Neptune nodded and opted to drop the argument, though she couldn't help being even more curious. Not much was said this time as they traveled, but the remaining senshi could feel that Chibiusa was relaxing.

"So who's next Chibiusa?"

"Probably the most important one, if we can win him we'll win at least three others," The senshi eyed her curiously. Sailor Jupiter was now near the lead, where Sailor Mercury had been previously.

"So who is it?" Chibiusa smirked at Jupiter as she simply pushed open the door they'd come to, entering without even knocking. Venus traded a grin with Jupiter, the answer obvious. Jupiter's son was the next one on the list.

"Hey Kenta, are you in here?" Chibiusa called out, uselessly given that everyone was restricted to their quarters. The air was humid and hot, a deep contrast to the hallway they'd traveled to reach the Jupiter quarters. Empty boxes of cereal were scattered across the kitchen table messily. Jupiter frowned and crossed her arms.

"Cold cereal? You'd think I'd have taught my son how to cook..." Chibiusa laughed suddenly, uproariously. She doubled over, tears actually coming to her eyes before her hysteria finally died down.

"Kenta? Cook?" She busted up laughing again, leaving the senshi stupefied. Finally she reached the end of her merriment and wiped her eyes. "Oh wow, I needed a good laugh...Makoto...Kenta has actually been banned from even using the microwave by my mother," Sailor Venus and Moon both began giggling while Jupiter blushed.

"What? Why?" Chibiusa bit her lip, holding in a renewed case of the giggles.

"Well...after a little incident we call the 'Toaster Pastry Fiasco', it was actually unanimously voted on by the senshi and knights. Your future self included," Sailor Jupiter sighed, while Venus and Moon laughed even harder, with Sailor Saturn giggling along with them. The group finally tracked down their target, who was preoccupied in his room.

"Kenta, woah! You need a shower, bud," Chibiusa gagged, covering her nose as she stepped into Kenta Kino's bedroom. Kenta was shirtless in a pair of shorts and running shoes, empty bottles of water strewn across his bedroom floor, weights everywhere imaginable in every size imaginable. He was soaked with sweat, currently doing sit-ups at the foot of his bed. He was remarkably toned for a ten-year-old, his sweat-streaked green hair laying flat. He stood up when Chibiusa walked in, grabbing a towel and wiping his face.

"Gee thanks Princess, I haven't had anything else to do, hey do you know where I left my gloves?" Chibiusa sighed and shook her head.

"Sorry Kenta, no clue where your boxing gloves are. Probably at Jun's quarters," Kenta nodded and resumed his exercise, now doing push-ups. Chibiusa again gagged and backed up out of the room, catching her breath. "Have you taken a bath since you got restricted here?" Kenta stopped then shrugged.

"I might have," Chibiusa again gagged and shoved Sailor Jupiter into the room.

"He's your son, you deal with him, I need to breath real air," The others practically ran out of the Jupiter quarters while Sailor Jupiter herself just shook her head and sat down on Kenta's bed. It took a few minutes more before Kenta noticed his visitor.

"Mom? What are you doing here?"

"I'm not your mom yet kiddo, I'm her from the past. I came here to get your help," Kenta jumped up, wiping his face again and searching for a new bottle of water.

"Yeah? Cool, what's up? Need me to kick someone's ass for you?" Sailor Jupiter chuckled and shook her head, clenching a fist.

"Sorry buddy, I can handle that on my own. I need you as Chibi Jupiter Knight to help us stop Lavender in my time," Kenta looked up, sucking on a water bottle and narrowed his eyes. He took a deep breath and threw the now empty bottle in the general direction of his trash can.

"Oh that...ugh, I was hoping you wanted me for something else," Kenta wandered his room, avoiding the curious look Sailor Jupiter gave him, "Well...I'd rather not. Try-outs are coming up for the boxing team and I really gotta place. I should keep training," Sailor Jupiter raised an eyebrow curiously and shook her head.

"How is fighting monsters not training?" She took a breath and tried a different tactic, "If you come back with us I can help you with your training. I'm a pretty good fighter myself," Kenta grinned and scratched his head.

"Yeah you taught me how to fight, I figured as much...eh whatever, I guess I can help. I'll need to call Jun, let him know the plan," Before he got very far, Sailor Jupiter grabbed his shoulder.

"First you need a bath, a shower, or just sprayed down with a garden hose," Kenta groaned but promptly spun on his heel and began to head for the bathroom.

_Part 5: Yukio_

Sailor Saturn had taken up the spot at Chibiusa's right hand side, smiling fondly at her best friend. Chibiusa noticed the younger girl staring and grinned broadly, putting an arm around Saturn as they continued their trek. The group had tightened its fold as it steadily lost members. Sailor Venus put her finger to her cheek, looking around curiously.

"So um...who's next Chibiusa?" Chibiusa tightened her hold on Sailor Saturn and smiled.

"Yukio, he should be more than happy to join us, Hotaru won't have any trouble winning him over," Sailor Saturn came to a complete halt, staring incredulously at Chibiusa.

"What? Me? But why me?" Chibiusa put her hands on her hips and grinned wryly.

"Well he is your son," Saturn's eyes bulged, the frail girl using her glaive to keep herself standing. Sailor Uranus and Neptune both took a step back, looking at Saturn with a parental kind of disbelief that she could ever be grown up enough to have her own family.

"What? Sailor Saturn's son? But Hotaru is just..." Sailor Uranus started, trailing off as Chibiusa continued walking to a nearby entrance.

"This is the pretty distant future, Uranus. Hotaru is all grown up in this time," Neptune just shook her head and watched Sailor Saturn, who looked absolutely amazed. Chibiusa knocked on the door they'd come to.

"It's open! Come in!" Chibiusa smiled and opened the door, stepping in and gesturing for the others to follow. The Outer Senshi braced themselves, still bewildered by the idea of little Hotaru having a son. They were promptly greeted by the sight of a seven-year-old boy with a mop of black hair bouncing on the couch while eating a bowl of cereal and watching a movie. He spun around and saw Chibiusa, his violet eyes lighting up.

"Hey Usagi! Hi Aunt Haruka! Hi Aunt Michiru! Hi Aunt Minako! Hi Aunt Serenity! Hi Uncle Endymion! Hi Mom!" With each greeting he spun around while bouncing. When he noticed his mother he hopped off the couch, setting down his cereal and rushing up to her. "Wow! You're a kid like me now Mom!"  
"Yukio, this is your mom from the past. She's here to talk to you about something very, very important. Try to be nice to her okay? She is my best friend you know?" Yukio nodded and gave Chibiusa a V-for-Victory as she and the other teens left the two of them to get to know each other. Yukio stared at Sailor Saturn with a broad grin, unmoving. Saturn began to get a little nervous, swallowing and looking away.

"Um...you're training to be a Sailor Knight?" Yukio nodded and struck a heroic pose.

"Yeah! I'm Chibi Saturn Knight! The S. Knight!" Saturn giggled as he threw a few mock punches while beaming proudly. She tightened her hold on her glaive and flashed him a timid smile.

"I wanted...wanted you to come to the past with me. We need the Chibi Sailor Knights to help fight Lavender," Yukio blinked and frowned.

"Really? But I'm still training, I'm not bad but..." Sailor Saturn shook her head and bit her lip.

"No you're perfect! We need the Chibi Sailor Knights to win," Yukio shrugged and pumped his fist, letting out a loud whoop.

"Well...okay! Let's go get ready!" Yukio grabbed Saturn's wrist and dragged her to his room to get ready for the trip back to the past.

_Part 6: The Twins_

Chibiusa looked completely at ease by the time the remaining crew had left the Saturn quarters. In fact, she had a smile on her lips that was threatening to become a grin. Sailor Neptune tugged on Sailor Uranus's arm and gestured toward Chibiusa. The two shared a glance then decided to approach the young princess over their concern.

"Chibiusa...how exactly is there a full team of Chibi Sailor Knights? Surely Haruka and I don't..." Chibiusa's smile finally became a grin as she looked over her shoulder at the two Outer Senshi.

"Actually, you do have kids. Twin boys showed up on your doorstep one day...Luna and Artemis believe they were sent from the Silver Millennium to become Chibi Knights, it was so surreal. They're actually why I'm in such a good mood," Venus pouted and crossed her arms, curious about her own child now. Tuxedo Mask, who had occupied himself largely with looking around the palace, turned his attention to his future daughter.

"Why is that Chibiusa?" Chibiusa chuckled and shook her head.

"Oh you have to meet them, the twins are just great to be around. You two are going to be so proud when you meet them," The team came to a new door, through which they could hear some kind of music. "Wow! Even better, I think Mune might be streaming right now," The others looked at Chibiusa strangely when she carefully pulled the door open and peaked inside. They could hear an acoustic guitar.

"What do you mean Chibiusa?" Sailor Moon asked as they quietly walked inside. Chibiusa put a finger to her lips and just smiled when they stepped into the living room. A laptop was set up with a young boy, around eight years old, wielding an acoustic guitar, sitting in front of it and playing it. A light on the top informed them that the web cam feature was in use.

"Ever since we got restricted to our quarters, Mune has been streaming himself playing a few songs every day to keep us entertained, I'm so glad I didn't miss it while I was gone," Sailor Neptune's heart fluttered. She put her hand to her breast and watched him play, his eyes closed and serene smile plastered on his lips. When he finally finished, the older senshi couldn't resist clapping. Mune looked up suddenly, blue eyes beaming when he saw them. His blue hair was cut the shortest they'd seen yet, very neatly combed and parted.

"Michiru-mama, Haruka-papa! You've come home, it's so wonderful to finally see you again!" Mune turned back to his laptop and waved before shutting down the stream and closing the computer. He looked up at Chibiusa and cocked his head, setting his guitar down on the couch. "That's strange though, I can't recall hearing that the battle was over," Chibiusa shook her head as she gently moved Neptune and Uranus closer.

"It isn't, these are your guardians from the past," Mune beamed and nodded, holding out his hand as he approached them.

"Then it's a pleasure to meet you! I'm Mune Kaioh, Chibi Neptune Knight, N. Knight more often," They heard a loud crash from another room and looked up. Mune laughed and shook his head as a boy identical in height and build entered, dressed in a white fencing outfit with his mask still pulled over his face.

"It's alright, just a vase...ah! Michiru-mama! Haruka-papa!" The boy pulled his mask off, laughing nervously as he stared at his guardians with a sheepish grin, his mask tucked under his arm, fencing sword in hand. "I mean...I didn't break anything! I definitely wasn't practicing in the music room!" Chibiusa shook her head and sighed putting a hand on Sailor Uranus' shoulder.

"Relax Masa, these are your guardians from the past," The second twin, Masa, looked exactly like Mune, except his hair was heavily gelled and spiked up. Though it was probably the same length. He sighed in relief and nodded.

"Okay...I have time to come up with an excuse..."

"And clean up the mess," Masa shrugged and nodded at his brother.

"Well yeah that too," Mune rolled his eyes, but laughed and shook his head.

"I'll help you, don't worry," Masa silently celebrated while Chibiusa began to head for the door with last of the team.

"Don't take too long, we should be leaving soon," The twins and their future guardians nodded, now left alone. Sailor Uranus stared at them, unable to keep from smiling. Neptune was having a very similar problem, though was also having to wipe her misty eyes. Masa joined the congregation, standing closer to Neptune.

"Something wrong, Michiru-mama?" Sailor Neptune shook her head and smiled brightly.

"No...no nothing's wrong at all. It's just so wonderful to meet you both, to know that we'll be able to have more children after Hotaru is grown up and on her own," Masa and Mune traded a glance then grinned back at the two. Sailor Uranus nodded, wrapping an arm around Sailor Neptune.

"Is there a reason you came to the future? Though it's incredible to get to meet you before you became our parents, I can't imagine Aunt Setsuna being keen on the idea," Mune questioned, his hands behind his back. Sailor Uranus nodded and knelt down, eye level with the two boys.

"We came to the future to ask for your help to defeat Lavender in our time," The twins shared a glance again before turning to Sailor Uranus and Neptune with determination in their eyes.

"Of course! We'd be more than happy to work with you!" Masa nodded and threw his free arm around his brother's shoulders.

"Actually...kinda always wanted to! This is going to be so cool!" The Outer Senshi beamed at their sons. They felt as proud as Chibiusa had told them they would. Masa noticed his sword and grinned at Mune, elbowing him in the chest. "Hey! Let's head to the rec room and show them our stuff!" Mune blinked then looked up at their guardians.

"Well I suppose we have time...would that be alright with you?" Neptune and Uranus looked at each other, then back to the boys, nodding.

"Sure, show us what you've got," Mune beamed and grabbed his guitar, running back to the boys' room to get his gear. Masa started to pull his mask back on, but Sailor Neptune stopped him.

"Hold on...I'm sure this may sound terrible but...how can we tell you two apart?" Masa grinned and pointed to his bare forehead. There was a faint birthmark shaped like the sign of Uranus.

"Just check the label! Oh...and well Mune's a prep and I'm a jock," The older teens laughed as Mune ran out in his own fencing outfit. Together, the four headed out to find the rec room.

_Part 7: Kei_

Sailor Venus stayed quiet for the bulk of the journey to their final destination. Obviously it was her son who was last...and she couldn't help but feel a little proud that Chibiusa considered him the easiest to convince of the whole gang. Still it was strange that Chibiusa had been so quiet about him. She'd been ready to pop wanting to introduce Michiru and Haruka to the twins, but...nothing about her son? Her impatience finally got the best of her.

"So...my son is the last one huh?" Chibiusa nodded and bit her thumb nail, cocking her head.

"Yeah, Kei is the last Chibi Knight we'll need to talk to," They continued, Venus hoping that Chibiusa would say more, but that was the end of the conversation. Sailor Venus sighed and slouched, looking over at Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask. They seemed to be in their own world, like usual. The leader of the senshi sighed and looked over her shoulder. The palace was so cold. The ground was rumbling as they approached a new door, Venus' eyes nearly falling out of her head when she heard the thrashing, blasting music barely being contained by the door. Chibiusa laughed and pointed at the door.

"Here's your quarters, Sailor Venus, Kei is probably still brooding," Venus raised an eyebrow as they approached the door.

"Brooding? Why?" Chibiusa smiled drolly, thinking back to the day the senshi had left the palace.

"Kei wanted to follow our parents out to battle, when my mother told him the Chibi Knights weren't ready, he yelled at her, got spanked and got grounded. He likes to blast his 'angry music' when he's in a bad mood," Venus sighed and frowned, her son had yelled at the queen? This wasn't going to be pretty.

"Brace yourselves," Chibiusa opened the door and the volume doubled, nearly knocking the four over as they entered. Chibiusa found the stereo and shut it off, sighing and rubbing her ears. Sailor Moon looked around, noting that the quarters looked largely untouched.

"Wow he must not be as messy as the others," Chibiusa shook her head, wandering around trying to find Kei.

"No...for the most part he's a good kid. He's just...uh...huh..." Chibiusa shook her head, "I'll let you form your own opinions," Chibiusa wandered around the quarters while Sailor Venus looked over the framed photos on the mantle. She picked up one that was obviously of herself and her son. Tuxedo Mask noticed and put a hand on Venus' shoulder.

"Minako, I don't think Sailor Pluto would appreciate your curiosity," Sailor Venus nodded and put the picture back. She knew better, but couldn't resist seeing her son. He had blue eyes, fiery red hair, and was wearing a little smirk on his face in the picture. Chibiusa came stomping back into the room, moaning in frustration.

"He left, that little snot left his quarters. Why am I not surprised? He never follows the rules..." Chibiusa began to head for the door, the other three hot on her heels.

"Where would he go?" Chibiusa's anger sated quickly as a soft smile appeared on her lips.

"I think I know, no I do know where he is," As they traveled, it quickly dawned on the three that they were headed into the foyer. Sure enough they saw the boy, about nine years old, from the photo standing at the window watching the battle outside. Specifically, as they got closer, they saw that he was watching the future Sailor Venus. Chibiusa approached the boy, who still leaned against the window with an angry look set on his face.

"Hey Usagi...back already?" Sailor Moon, Venus and Tuxedo Mask approached the two, while Chibiusa nodded, looking out the window and frowning at the senshi.

"Yeah...any change?" Kei scoffed and crossed his arms, scowling.

"Of course not, they were all stupid to think this would work. If your idiot mom had just let us fight, we could have won, but no. No, no, no, they just wanted to be morons," Chibiusa sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Kei they just wanted to make sure we would be safe," Kei sneered at Chibiusa and rubbed his arm, blushing a bit.

"Yeah right, we're so much better hiding in this prison until they break down the barrier and come kill us all. Another brilliant plan by our oh so magnificent Queen Serenidummy," Sailor Moon puffed up at that and stomped closer.

"Hey! I may not be the smartest person ever, but I'm not a dummy!" Kei turned his glare on Sailor Moon, snorting and crossing his arms.

"Oh look, just when I thought the stupid level in Crystal Tokyo couldn't get higher, I've been proved wrong. Now we have two Serenities, heaven save us," Sailor Moon growled and clenched her fists, glaring at the little brat. Sailor Venus stared in horror. Her son was activity insulting Sailor Moon? To her face?

"Kei be nice, I brought your mom from the past to talk to you. We have a bit of a situation," Kei's frosty leer fell on Sailor Venus, who remained as unmoved as she could manage.

"Uh...hi? Nice to meet you?" Kei put his hands on his hips and looked back out the window. He quickly crossed his arms and flared up glaring at Sailor Venus.

"What? You went and grabbed this kid to punish me since my mom is content to kill herself? I feel so special," Sailor Venus flinched while Chibiusa just shook her head and cried in frustration.

"Talk to your son, we need to go check on the others...Kei be good," The future royal family left Sailor Venus and her son alone, the little boy angrily turning back to the window. Venus joined him in watching the struggle, her heart going out to her future self.

"What do you want?" Venus winced and struggled to not glare at Kei, but it was a futile effort.

"Chibiusa brought me from the past to speak with you about Lavender," Kei scowled and glared at her.

"Oh right, the psycho that's trying to kill us all. If those idiots had just trusted us, we'd be winning this!" Sailor Venus crossed her arms, feeling more awkward than she should beside a nine-year-old.

"I came to ask you to help us fight her, in my time," Kei, startled, turned to Sailor Venus with wide eyes. For a second, his anger abated. But it was only a second before it returned and he began to walk away. Sailor Venus ran after him, catching his wrist.

"Woah! Hey where are you going?" Kei jerked his arm away from her and continued.

"To get ready to leave, we don't have any time to waste," Sailor Venus watched him go, feeling sick thinking that such a hateful little boy could be her son...and bursting with pride that he was so determined to fight, to make a difference. She hurried after him.

_Part 8: Final Preparations_

The Sailor Senshi and the Chibi Knights had all gathered in the foyer, ready to leave with one exception. Koichi was still largely against traveling to the past to aid in the showdown. The crew heard excited chattering and watched curiously as a very excited Sailors Neptune and Uranus, along with the twins, came into the room. Uranus had her arms around the boys while Neptune smoothed out Mune's hair. They had changed out of their fencing gear. Setsuna gave them a wry look, smirking slightly.

"You seem terribly cheerful," Sailor Neptune, her face aglow with pride, patted Mune's head.

"These two are just amazing, you should see them," Sailor Uranus laughed and shook her head, cutting Sailor Neptune off.

"No, let's keep it a secret for now," The other senshi gave Uranus a curious glance but she just grinned back. Kei and Sailor Venus were still nowhere to be found by the time Chibiusa, Sailor Moon, and Tuxedo Mask joined the crew. Kenta, now cleaned up, grinned and pumped his fist.

"Alright everyone's here let's go!" Sailor Mercury looked over the gathering and shook her head.

"Wait, Sailor Venus and..." Kenta cleared his throat loudly and walked up to Chibiusa, tugging on her arm.

"C'mon, everyone is here let's go before he gets here," Chibiusa rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. Sailor Mars had an arm around Koichi while the others seemed ready to return and begin the fight. The little boy wasn't crying anymore, but had his arms wrapped around himself and kept his eyes low, too afraid to even consider aiding them.

"Koichi are you sure you won't come back with us?" Koichi shook his head and sniffled, trying harder than ever to act tough. Tetsuo snickered and Jun rolled his eyes, elbowing Kenta, who chuckled and shrugged.

"Actually, Sailor Mars, it's best if Koichi doesn't come back. He really doesn't know what he's doing," Koichi frowned and slouched more, but didn't protest. Sailor Mars couldn't resist the urge to glare at Kenta, the athletic boy completely unmoved. Chibiusa sighed and started to chastise Kenta, but they heard footsteps approaching. Kenta and Jun both groaned when Kei walked in with Sailor Venus. The red-haired boy seemed just as displeased by the two older boys' presence.

"Ugh, we almost ditched him," Before an argument could break out, Chibiusa clapped her hands and got everyone's attention.

"Alright...it's time to return to the past, let's do this right and keep everyone together," The now huge group gathered in the center of the foyer, with the exception of Koichi, who sat to the side with his eyes downcast. Sailor Mars stared back at him sadly, wishing she had been able to convince him to come. "Okay here goes," Chibiusa started to lift the time key, but Kei broke from the fold, crossing his arms and glaring at Koichi.

"Hey Mama's Boy! We're leaving, get over here," Koichi looked up with a startled glance.

"But...I'm not," Kenta growled and gave Kei a light shove, the younger boy whipping around and glaring venomously at him.

"Let's just leave the crybaby here Kei, he's useless," Kei turned his glare on Koichi again, tapping his foot.

"We don't have all day, quit crying and get over here," Koichi hesitated then nodded and quickly joined the group. Sailor Mars stared in shock. Koichi seemed to be sticking close to both her and Kei, despite how abrasive and mean Sailor Venus' son seemed. Chibiusa looked around, expecting more distractions to pop up. Seeing the coast clear, she lifted the time key. With a flash, they returned once more to the past, in hopes that they may save the future.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: To Know a Chibi Knight/Fighting for the First Time**

Tanga sulked through the pristine halls of the Vile Crystal Palace, hands behind her back. She pouted as she bitterly kicked at the floor. How was she supposed to have known the senshi would be able to defeat Soldier? That breed of starless was generally quite reliable, after all it had been a Soldier who defeated and almost succeeded in killing Jupiter Knight in the future. The auburn-haired pre-teen sighed and crossed her arms, leaning against the wall and sliding to the ground with her legs stretched out in front of her. Why had Lady Lavender been so furious about losing a Soldier? They had at least a billion more.

"If Chibi Moon hadn't interfered then they'd have been beaten," She whined. Of course Lady Lavender hadn't been that angry until Jezal and Lima decided to repeatedly press the issue. They were always trying to get her in trouble. Tanga really didn't need their help, trouble seemed to find her on its own. That being...true, it was a wonder why Lady Lavender continued to put Tanga in charge of the various operations taking place on Earth.

"If I'm such a failure why keep sending me? Just let me stay here and play with the Shadows..." She heard a shrill, snarky giggle and turned to see Jezal hovering over her. Tanga threw a glare at her fellow general, but it was only momentarily. She quickly looked away, frowning.

"Tanga, Lady Lavender continues to send you because your demise wouldn't be a particularly painful loss. If anything, it'd just give her more Soul Force to feed to the Black Vile Crystal," Tanga crossed her arms and remained silent. Jezal was amazing at taking any rebuttal she made and twisting it around to make her look foolish.

"In fact, she's thinking about destroying you herself," Tanga gasped and looked at Jezal, seeing a glimmer of excitement in the green-haired witch's eyes. Tanga felt her jaw tightening and looked away, pulling her knees up to her chest. Jezal laughed and ruffled Tanga's hair as she passed, an act that never failed to infuriate the much younger girl. Tanga swiped at Jezal's hand, missing by a mile. She smoothed out her hair and sighed.

"I need to find that Princess Soul, I don't wanna die..." Tanga leapt to her feet and took off, opposite the direction Jezal had gone. Little did she know, Jezal and Lima were just down the hall watching her go. Lima was sitting, sprawled out lazily while Jezal was smirking.

"You know what to do, keep an eye on her. If she finds the Princess Soul," Lima waved her hand and yawned, slowly sliding to her feet.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll kill her and take it," Jezal nodded, snickering venomously after Lima had left. The little brat didn't have a chance in Hell.

XxXxX

The return to present time was as uneventful as the trip to the future had been. Minor changes had incurred, mostly in the form of Kenta and Kei bickering the entire trip, but otherwise it was a typical journey. Through the use of Luna-P, Chibiusa was able to invoke a massive group hypnosis to cover up the identities of the Chibi Knights. To Minako and Ami's parents, Tetsuo and Kei became sons. For Rei's Grandpa, Koichi was now his very timid little grandson, and for Usagi's parents, cousin Chibiusa had always been a teenager.

Makoto needed only enough aid in convincing her landlord that Kenta had always lived with her, and the Outer Senshi needed only steel their nerves for preparing themselves for the task laid out before them. Their house found itself now packed with not one pre-teen girl, but a pre-teen girl and four boys, ranging in age from seven to twelve. Everyone said a silent prayer for Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna's sanity.

XxXxX

Rei and Koichi knelt before the Great Fire, deep in prayer. Hoping to find more answers in regards to their enemy, the two had sought out the fire's wisdom. Unfortunately, after nearly an hour and a half, they were no closer to understanding the mysterious "Black Vile Crystal" than when they had begun. Rei peeked one eye open and watched Koichi, noting the strain on the little boy's face.

Koichi's eyes were clenched tightly shut, sweat trickling down his brow. His cheeks were a little red, his teeth grinding together rhythmically in time with the crackling of the fire. Rei frowned and lightly tapped Koichi's arm, startling him and bringing him out of his forced trance.

"Huh? W...What's wrong Mama? Uh...I mean Rei...that feels so weird," Rei chuckled softly and patted Koichi's hand.

"You're trying too hard Koichi...just relax. It's okay if you don't get an answer every time," Koichi shook his head and blinked his eyes quickly, becoming a little more red in the face.

"No it's not okay! I can't do this...I always get a picture, but it's always the same! Ever since I was seven...before that I never saw anything at all," Rei blinked and folded her hands in her lap, casting a friendly, understanding smile. Koichi noticed and blushed, looking down.

"What happened when you were seven?" Koichi shook his head. He really didn't want to talk about it, and he definitely didn't want to make Aunt Setsuna mad by talking about it. Rei nodded, guessing at least one of the reasons. She sighed and slouched a little, glancing at Koichi. "Then...why don't you tell me what you see? Maybe we can figure out what it means," Koichi held his breath, staring into the Great Fire with great trepidation. The image—he'd seen it so many times now he could recall it perfectly, detail for detail.

"Well...I'm sitting in the dark, and it's freezing cold. I can't see anything and I'm really wet, I think it's raining, but I can't see anything, I can't get up either...and the longer I watch, the more heavy my clothes get...by the time I wake up I'm laying down and can't move," Rei blinked and looked up at the ceiling. That was certainly a vague vision for Koichi to have recurring for over a year.

"Does it ever change at all?" Koichi started to shake his head, then bit his lip. He nervously looked up at Rei, looking back down and leaning against her side. He wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her tightly and clenching his eyes shut. Rei felt him shudder, his breaths coming in more ragged drags. The topic didn't seem to be open to discussion any longer. Though still curious, she held him while he fought against crying.

"Don't worry Koichi, it's fine. Now come on, let's have a snack before we finish our chores. I promise, you're doing just fine. I wasn't exactly a fire-reading prodigy myself," Koichi shook his head as the two rose and began to leave.

"You're lying...I know how great you were as a kid, I heard all the stories from Grandpa before he..." Koichi trailed off and this topic Rei didn't dare pursue. Just as they were leaving the room, they happened to bump into Yuuchirou, who was humming and tapping on the handle of his broom, off in his own little world. Rei glared and cleared her throat loudly, catching Yuuchirou off guard and making him jump. He laughed and scratched his scraggly hair.

"Sorry Rei, had the best idea for a riff and got a little caught up in the moment," Rei shook her head, but couldn't hide a tiny smile. Yuuchirou grinned and ruffled Koichi's hair making the little boy grin.

"Hey Koichi! How's it goin' man? Keepin' your sister out of trouble, eh?" Koichi scratched his hair and nodded, giggling and grinning. Rei blinked, looking at Yuuchirou and then at Koichi, noting a certain—but painfully striking—similarity. Yuuchirou bid the two goodbye and returned to his chores. Rei noted how Koichi happily waved goodbye, not as shy as he usually was. Koichi looked up at his future mother, beaming.

"So um...can we get something to eat now?" Rei nodded and they went on their way. Koichi's vision was now the furthest thing from Rei's mind. She couldn't stop thinking about how much Koichi looked like him.

XxXxX

Kei laid back on his bed, staring at the ceiling fan. The door creaked open and a pair of blue eyes peered in, watching him carefully. Minako sighed and leaned against the wall outside the door. She turned to Artemis who was sitting beside her and shrugged.

"So uh...how should I talk to him? Just walk in like, oh hey! Or what?" Artemis shrugged, peeking in to look at the fiery nine-year-old. Both had been largely stumped on just how to interact with a child as downright antagonistic as Kei. Minako tapped her chin, looking out the window at the quite beautiful day shining in. Why exactly was Kei in the house anyway? She wasn't even a little boy, but it was killing her to be indoors.

"That'll work," She muttered, knocking on the door and sliding in with a sheepish smile, "Hey Kei, how're you doing?" Kei had been throwing his pillow into the air and letting it fall back onto him, but stopped as soon as Minako made her presence known.

"...What do you want, kid?" Minako winced and laughed nervously. Artemis sighed and hopped up on the window sill, looking outside. Kei's future mother sat down on the end of the bed, making an attempt to at least not appear intimidated.

"What's a growing boy doing inside on such a great day? You should be out playing with your friends!" Artemis pointed out, smiling as warmly as he could manage. Kei resumed his previous method of entertainment, this time punching the pillow when it came back down.

"I'm grounded, that means I can't go outside, idiot," Feline and female alike balked, nearly falling from their respective perches. Minako leaned closer to Kei, staring in disbelief.

"You've not even been here a whole day! How did you get grounded?!" Kei let the pillow hit him in the face the next time it fell, pushing it off and shrugging.

"I called your mom a nosy old hag for complaining about us being out late last night," Minako's jaw dropped, and Artemis actually laughed out loud.

"You told her that to her face?" Kei shrugged and sneered, sitting up and leaning on his pillow.

"I don't see her at all in my time, I figured I shouldn't pass on any opportunity to snipe at her while I'm here," Minako laughed in disbelief, then simply laughed for hilarity's sake. There had been more than one time when she'd wanted to say a few choice words to her mother...she never imagined her future son would be the person to actually do it.

"That's amazing...but you really should try to stay out of trouble Kei," Kei rolled his eyes and laid back down, throwing his pillow up again.

"I really don't care what you say, you aren't my mom yet. Get out of my room, kid," Minako's previous belief that she might be getting through to Kei was shattered. She could feel her patience beginning to wear thin.

"I may not be your mom yet, but,"

"Get your 'but' off my bed and out of my room," Minako bristled, standing up and putting her hands on her hips. Kei stopped momentarily, taking in her appearance. That was a pose he was very familiar with.

"Look you smart mouthed little brat, I'm not going to just sit here and let you talk to me like this!" Kei promptly threw his pillow in Minako's face, glaring at her with a mocking expression hanging from his lips.

"That's funny, you're standing, moron," Minako screamed and stormed out of the room after throwing the pillow back at Kei, knocking him on his back. Artemis glared at him before he fled after his owner. Kei continued laying where Minako had knocked him, staring at the blunt end of the pillow.

XxXxX

"So what do you want for supper tonight, Kenta?" Makoto glanced back and sighed, wondering how on God's green Earth she'd ended up with Jun as well. "Shouldn't you be with Setsuna, Jun?" Jun halfway glanced at Makoto, shrugging. He grinned and quickly turned back to where he and Kenta were looking, both snickering and whispering. Makoto blinked and approached the two, groaning and rolling her eyes when she saw what had caught their attention.

"Guys, we don't have time for you to ogle, let's get our groceries," Moaning, both boys turned away from the two older teens they'd been eying and resumed their far less exciting quest. Neither was about to complain though, they both heartily agreed that any food cooked by Kenta's mom—or future mom in this case—was worth the boredom.

"The redhead totally looked at me, I thought I saw her wink," Jun put his hands in his pockets and shook his head, sighing.

"Kenta she was adjusting her contact," Kenta laughed and hit his chest, flexing.

"You're just jealous I'm the babe magnet," Jun coughed, biting his thumb when he covered his mouth. The assertion was arrogant, but past experience showed that Kenta did tend to get the attention of their female peers quite often.

"Alright that's enough, if you're going to be having dinner with us, you can help pick out a few things, Jun," Kenta and Jun had previously been walking a good four feet behind Makoto, but begrudgingly closed the distance to help. "Why aren't you with Setsuna anyway, Jun? I'm sure she'd loved to get to know you better," Jun laughed mirthlessly and tossed a can into the shopping cart.

"I'm sure she would," Makoto actually flinched at the amount of sarcasm dripping from his words. Kenta didn't react at all, not even as much as a worried look or sympathetic gesture.

"What makes you say that? I know she would, even if she's against this whole situation," Kenta sighed and banged his head lightly on the shelf he was looking through.

"Oh great, here it comes," Jun bit his tongue in annoyance, throwing a box in the cart, much harder this time.

"Yeah, right. All she cares about is that stupid door," Makoto frowned, putting a hand on her hip.

"Well the Time Door is awfully important, it'd be terrible if someone really messed up history," Kenta was now banging his head a little harder, groaning out loud.

"Don't get him started! Come on I'm hungry let's just go!" Too late, Jun glared and crossed his arms tightly.

"She does such a fantastic job, huh? That whole Death Phantom spiel and now this, real bang up job!" Makoto huffed and shook her head. Now she knew why Kenta was acting the way he was. Jun was impossible to talk to. Maybe not impossible, Minako's son was worse from what she'd seen of him.

XxXxX

Ami and Tetsuo were at home, lounging in the living room and hard at work reviewing their information regarding Lavender and her generals. Ami tapped her lip, pushing her glasses up.

"Tetsuo what information do you have on those Starless creatures?" Tetsuo was staring intently at his mini-computer, biting his bottom lip and narrowing his eyes. His glasses had slid down his nose, being carelessly thrust up on occasion

"Well I don't know much about that...but I do know that I just kicked this guy in Newark's butt!" Ami blinked and slowly got to her feet, walking over and sitting next to Tetsuo, her face falling when she saw the display on his monitor.

"You are playing a card game on your computer?" Tetsuo grinned and nodded, jumping up and letting Ami sit down. "Oof!" She jumped when he plopped down on her lap, bringing up the scripting for the program he was running.

"Yeah I just did a quick search for online trading card games. I didn't wanna buy this one, so I just made the program myself," Ami blinked and looked through the coding.

"Have you seen the coding for the actual program?" Tetsuo shrugged and shook his head.

"Nah I do this kind of stuff all the time, ooh you gotta see this program!" Tetsuo pulled up another program on the computer, displaying three dimensional rendering of each of the Chibi Knights and Sailor Senshi. Ami noticed that there were more figures, but they had been shaded out and weren't selectable.

"I imagine those must be our husbands, the Sailor Knights?" Tetsuo nodded and ran his finger over the screen, tapping on his own figure.

"Yup, I blocked them out so Aunt Setsuna wouldn't freak out about the time stream. Using this program I've recorded not only a running statistical analysis of our abilities but computerized demonstrations, basic strategies involving different combinations, formulas detailing who works best with whom, and a plethora of intricate interfaces that make planning for battle on the fly a snap!" Ami whistled and smirked at the little boy, who wasn't hiding the cocky smirk on his face.

"So you're a little tactical genius huh?" Tetsuo scratched his head and blushed dark red.

"Uh...well not really...I mean the program is great and all, but most of the time Kei just ignores it...or I forget to use it," Ami grinned and scratched her head, laughing sheepishly.

XxXxX

"Go long Masa!" Setsuna looked out through the sliding glass door, smiling and chuckling. The bright grin on Haruka's face as she played with the four kids was almost enough to lift the weight sitting in her chest. Jun had left very quickly after they had arrived to the present time. She hadn't seen nor heard from him since. He hadn't been particularly subtle about his intense dislike of her.

"Surely there's someway I can be there for him...even with my duties," She had left the doors of time before, several times on occasion. Even now she wasn't stationed at her post. Surely somewhere down the line, she'd find someway to make things up to her wayward son. Setsuna barely acknowledge the soft pair of hands setting the tea cup next to her. Smiling she looked up at Michiru, who smiled tenderly back.

"You're welcome to join us outside Setsuna, you are family after all," Setsuna took the cup and sipped slowly.

"I may come out in a little while, don't worry about me, Michiru. I'm quite alright," Michiru touched her shoulder gently and smiled. Setsuna smiled and nodded in return, promptly the aqua-haired teen to return outside, where her lover was wrestling around with their spiky-haired future son.

"Close Masa! Not close enough!" Haruka snatched the ball away and looked around, seeing Yukio bouncing up and down waving his arms frantically.

"Uncle Haruka! I'm open! Pitch it!" Haruka tossed the ball over Masa's head, a nice clean arc right into Yukio's waiting hands.

"Nice catch Yukio!" Mune cheered, clapping from where he was sitting on the deck looking through some of Michiru's music. Yukio yelped and dove out of the way when Masa came in fast, ready to tackle him to reclaim the cherished sphere.

"Catch Mommy!" Hotaru flinched at his name for her, but caught the gently thrown ball easily, gulping and stepping back as Masa began to advance. His spiked hair blew in the wind, his blue eyes glimmering. His foot dug into the ground, his legs slowly spreading.

"You ain't getting' away this time Aunt Hotaru! Haruka-papa can't save you now!" Masa took off full speed for Hotaru who quickly threw the ball away. Michiru, who had been watching and giggling the whole time squealed, uncharacteristically, when the ball came careening towards her. Still she managed to catch it, looking around to get rid of it quickly as Masa dodged Haruka and came charging up the steps.

"Michiru-mama! I'm open! Throw it here!" Mune had sat down the music he was perusing and held up his hands. Just in time Michiru pitched the ball at Mune. Everyone stopped, watching with rapt amazement as the ball flew between Mune's hands, smacked him in the forehead and knocked him over the back of his chair and to the ground.

"Oh no! Mune I'm so sorry!" Mune sat up, rubbing his head and laughing. Yukio had fallen on the ground and was rolling around laughing while Masa was holding himself up with the deck railing. Haruka was chuckling, though somewhat concerned for Mune's well-being.

"It's um...not your fault, Michiru-mama," Mune said with a laugh, picking up the ball and standing up. He pulled back and threw it with all his might, the ball spiraling awkwardly, bouncing off the table and rolling down the steps, bouncing into Michiru's flower bed. Mune winced and laughed sheepishly. Masa and Yukio were just about to die, Haruka and Hotaru both laughing harder now.

"M-Muhunuheheh!" Masa tried to stutter out between gales of hysteria, "Mune can't hahaha! Can't play sports! Hahahaha!" Mune was blushing now, but just shrugged and dug his toe into the ground. Michiru finally cracked and giggled, offering Mune a hug seeing how embarrassed he was. Setsuna watched from the doorway, wearing a somber smile.

XxXxX

"So tell me about your boyfriend! Do I know him? What's he like? Ooh I bet he's a hunk!" Usagi and Chibiusa both giggled, sitting in the corner booth at the Crown Parlor, smoothies in tow. Mamoru had excused himself for the moment, most likely to just get away from the severe amount of girliness the two emitted. Once he was safely out of sight, Usagi had begun to interrogate Chibiusa regarding her boyfriend, whom the pink-haired teen now regretted mentioning.

"Can I just say that's classified information and be done with it?" Usagi snickered and shook her head, beaming at her daughter.

"Last time I checked you weren't Mikuru and I wasn't Kyon. C'mon, Chibiusa, just between the two of us!" Chibiusa sighed, but slowly began to blush just thinking about her boyfriend.

"Well...yeah you've already met him, he's very sweet. Oh he's so handsome and very polite, you and Daddy both just love him already. The other senshi are very nice to him as well," Chibiusa sighed and leaned on her hand, staring out the window in a daze. Just how was he doing at the moment? Mamoru had been noticeably on edge, she could only imagine if he felt the same way.

"Wow he sounds amazing! Can you give me his name? Please? Just a hint?" Chibiusa blinked and sighed, mock glaring at Usagi.

"Usagi, you heard Puu. We have to preserve the time line. I can't tell you everything about the future," Usagi sighed and laid her head down on the table. As if a light bulb had come on, she sat up quickly and grinned.

"Elios,"

"What?! How did you know!?"

XxXxX

While some part of Mamoru had needed to get away from the immense femininity that was permeating from their seat in the parlor, it wasn't the only reason he had left. He stood in the restroom, leaning against the sink and staring at his sweaty, miserable reflection. Breathing was an Olympic event, every muscle in his body seemingly protesting his continued existence.

"What is this...what are we up against?" He muttered, frantically spinning the cold water nozzle, splashing his face and leaning against the sink on his elbows. His knees were weak, ready to give out. If he were just a fraction weaker...he would have. Forcing himself up, his arms shaking, Mamoru stared at his reflection. Within him, golden energy pulsed.

XxXxX

"This time we can't screw up, you have to find the Princess Soul! I...I won't tolerate failure, okay?! Go now! Find it!"

XxXxX

Somehow, Kei had escaped from his room. It had been about three days since the crew had come back from the future, and day three had thus far been Kei's most mellow. Minako was relieved, she'd even treated him to the arcade. As lucky would have it, Kei was just as addicted to video games as she was. And truth be told...he was very good. Luckily he hadn't beaten her more than she'd beaten him. All in all, a successful outing.

"So...I noticed you talk to Koichi a lot. You guys are pretty close huh?" Kei shrugged, his hands in his pockets as the two made the journey home.

"You could say that, he's...a pathetic sniveling mama's boy," Minako was about to respond, though stopped when she saw Kei's expression soften for the first time, "But...he's mine," Kei didn't say anything else. Minako blinked and stared at her retreating son's back, trying to make what she could of Kei's ambiguous statement.

"Are you coming or am I going to get yelled at for ditching you?" Minako shook her head and hurried after the fiery redhead.

"Hey Kei, I was just-" Minako froze, stumbling and dropping to her knees. A wave of cold shot through her bones, coating her nerves. Slowly, terribly, painfully it felt like she was being lifted out of her own body. Every bit of skin was screaming, like her entire body was a scab being pulled away. She gasped breathlessly when finally torn free from herself.

"Minako?!" Kei spun around, watching Minako's lifeless body hit the ground. A ghostly white mist hovered in the air over her. Sparks crackled around the strange creature floating above them. Its body was a bell shape, all yellow with shifting lines of black coursing over it. Its face was a solid black sphere sitting atop the bell. It had a huge, cone-shaped horn coming from its head, the base of the horn actually bigger in diameter than its head. The white mist from Minako's body began to float toward it

"No you don't! Venus Sword, Power Up!" Without concern for identity, Kei held out his hand, summoning an orange-hilted sword. Hefting it above him, he was drowned in metallic orange light, Kei Aino replaced by Chibi Venus Knight. He wore orange body armor, with a long-sleeved navy shirt underneath, navy blue pants and high orange boots that came just over his knees. On his back he wore a golden bow, with no quiver. V. Knight lowered his sword and glared at the starless as he adjusted to his powers for the first time in a while.

"Back off!" He leapt in front of the white mist and swung his sword at the starless, which flew out of the way quickly. It began crackling and launched a bolt of lightning at him. V. Knight rolled out of the way, sheathing his sword and taking out his bow, nocking an invisible arrow and hefting it up. As he pulled the string back a glowing orange arrow appeared in place.

"Venus Love Arrow!" V. Knight let the arrow fly, muttering a curse under his breath when it missed. He knocked another glowing Love Arrow and shot the next lightning bolt head on, creating an explosion that knocked him off his feet. He slapped his communicator wristwatch, hitting the emergency call button. He was a decent fighter, but with Minako out of commission, he was definitely going to need back up. Thankfully, he noted, the mist had retracted back into her body. She was breathing again.

"Okay clown, you've got about six minutes to kill me. Let's see what you've got! Venus Love Arrow!" V. Knight blasted another lightning bolt out of the air as he rolled forward, trying to draw the creature's gaze away from Minako. Another Love Arrow missed its mark, the starless was just too fast for V. Knight to hit. "C'mon, give me one of the twins...either one and this thing is finished..." V. Knight blasted another lightning bolt out of his way, diving in front of Minako. At that moment the starless opted to fire another bolt, hitting him dead-on, right between the shoulder blades. V. Knight hit the ground, rolling over and trying to lift his bow. His left arm was numb, no luck. He unsheathed his sword, sitting between Minako and the monster.

"Mars Burning Mandala!"

"Deep Submerge!" V. Knight sighed in relief, dropping his sword to the ground, breathing heavily. The starless dodged both attacks, crackling and launching blasts of lightning at the newcomers. Unfortunately for it, there were more newcomers than it thought.

"Jupiter Oak Evolution!" The attack seemed to cancel out the lightning blasts, though took a significant toll on its caster. The reinforcements gathered around V. Knight and Minako, the senshi appalled to see Minako out of commission.

The Chibi Knights were each glad in their own variation of V. Knight's armor: Light blue armor with dark blue under armor for C. Knight, Chibi Mercury Knight. Red armor with purple under armor for M. Knight, Chibi Mars Knight. Chibi Jupiter Knight, J. Knight, wore green armor with pink under armor. Chibi Saturn Knight, S. Knight, wore dark purple armor with black under armor, and Chibi Pluto Knight, P. Knight, wore maroon armor with dark green under armor. The twins, Chibi Neptune and Chibi Uranus Knight—N and U. Knight—wore dark blue armor with aqua under armor and yellow armor with dark blue under armor respectively.

"What happened?!" Sailor Moon wailed as she dropped to her knees next to Minako, cradling her friend's head. V. Knight winced, accepting M. Knight's aid. Panting he slouched and shook his left arm, feeling starting to come back.

"This thing tried taking her spirit...I stopped it...but I can't land a hit on it to try to hurt it, C. Knight you got a weakness yet?" The Sailor Senshi looked around for a C. Knight, discovering that V. Knight had been speaking to Chibi Mercury Knight. The little boy noticed their looks and shrugged.

"M. Knight was taken," Nodding they returned their attention to the starless, which looked rather miffed. "Ooh buddy, this thing isn't happy..." He muttered as he fumbled with his visor. Sailor Mercury was well ahead of the younger warrior and had narrowed in on it.

"It has powerful attacks but doesn't seem that strong, we probably just need a well placed hit to take it out," V. Knight nodded, and lifted up his bow again, nocking another energy arrow.

"Venus Love Arrow!" V. Knight let the attack fly, but needless to say, the starless dodged it. While it was dodging, however, the others snapped into action. Uranus and Neptune both shot forward, one swinging her sword while the other lifted her mirror.

"Submarine Reflection!" The starless stopped in its tracks, diving away from the beam of aquatic light.

"Space Sword Blaster!" With supernatural speed the monster spun around dodging the attack, even as more stepped forward to attack. Mars summoned a fiery bow, while Jupiter thrust her hands forward.

"Mars Flame Sniper!" The arrow whizzed by the creature, driving it closer to the ground.

"Jupiter Oak Evolution!" The starless dodged the attack and spun around blasting back with several blasts of lightning, driving back the advancing senshi. Now close to the ground, the Chibi Knights stepped in. J. Knight swung his sword at it, missing barely. He swung in broad, powerful strokes, though they proved painfully slow. P. Knight watched carefully, swinging sharply when the starless whizzed by his face. His attack missed and both were blasted by a discharge from the creature.

"Dead Scream," The starless fired back with a blast of lightning, creating a blinding explosion in the air. It zoomed through the smoke, spiraling towards Sailor Pluto, who had little to no time to react. The air around the creature grew deathly still as a blinding violet light flooded the street.

"Silence Glaive, Surprise!" Somehow the monster dodged the tip of the glaive, which collided with the street. The resulting explosion knocked everyone off their feet and left behind a decent sized crater in the earth.

"Moon Tiara Magic Trap!" The tiara chased the creature, but nonetheless couldn't quite catch it. Chibi Moon caught her crown and growled, gesturing toward V. Knight. The leader of the Chibi Knights nodded and fired out another arrow, intentionally above the creature to drive it closer to the ground.

"Ha! It's party time!" Without warning a blur flew and the sound of whistling metal soared by the creature. U. Knight didn't mull over his initial miss, but pressed on against the monster, throwing sharp, fast, deadly strikes, moving like an expert swordsman. The creature still seemed far too fast, blasting U. Knight away carelessly.

"Showtime!" The creature dove down just fast enough to avoid a new charge, this one from N. Knight. The more proper twin proved to be his brother's equal in the art of swordsmanship, throwing even faster, albeit packing a little less punch, strikes. He moved quickly and gracefully, as if dancing more than fighting. Still he was also blasted away by the creature, which quickly rose into the air, crackling with electricity until it nearly blotted out the sun.

"Oh this isn't good, regroup!" The Chibi Knights and Sailor Senshi gathered together, watching in horror as the starless grew more and more powerful, preparing what would assuredly be a final attack. C. Knight shook his head and gulped.

"We can't let it fire that! We have to destroy it first!" M. Knight gulped and took a step back, but a quick glare from V. Knight brought him back to the front line. Sailor Uranus looked down at Minako and back up at the monster.

"How do you propose we do that? We can't even hit it!" Sailor Mercury looked up from her computer, taking a deep breath.

"I don't think it can move while it's powering up that attack," C. Knight nodded and picked up where she had trailed off.

"This is our only shot! We gotta do some super attack now!" Sailor Mercury nodded and looked at the others.

"If we hit it with all of our attacks at once, I'm sure we can destroy it!" The Sailor Senshi nodded, but the Chibi Knights seemed a little less enthused. V. Knight actually looked...angry.

"Yeah that isn't going to happen, half of these numbskulls don't even know their attack names," J. Knight glowered and shoved M. Knight's shoulder.

"Well some of our powers don't work even if we do say them right!" V. Knight glared back then growled and faced forward.

"State your attack name! Hurry! Just go down the line!" C. Knight rolled his eyes, but nodded, realizing that they needed a refresher course.

"Mercury Icicle Spears," V. Knight nodded and looked at M. Knight who gulped, scratching his head.

"Mars Burning Flames, but," V. Knight shook his head, holding his red armored companion's shoulder to keep him from backing away.

"No excuses, J, what's yours?" J. Knight wanted to retort angrily, but froze when he realized he had forgotten, grumbling he scratched his head, tapping his sword on the ground.

"Um...Jupiter...something or other it doesn't matter!" P. Knight sighed and shook his head, holding up his sword.

"His is Jupiter Thunderstorm, mine is Screams of Destruction," V. Knight nodded and looked at S. Knight, who shrugged and laughed. V. Knight slapped his forehead and sighed, turning back to the monster to see how much time they had left.

"Yours is Destructive Ray! Twins go!"

"Tidal Wave, V. Knight," N. Knight looked at U. Knight expectantly, then sighed seeing his brother was clueless. U. Knight shrugged and held up his sword.

"Uranus Slashy Deathy Strike?" N. Knight laughed and shook his head.

"Try Earthquake Tremors," U. Knight shrugged.

"Eh, close enough," Sailor Mars' eyes widened and in a flash she summoned her bow.

"We're out of time, go! Mars Flame Sniper!" With a flick of her wrist she fired the flaming arrow at the creature. Sailor Mercury summoned her aqua harp and strummed the strings, taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out.

"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" The stream of freezing water launched out, joining the flaming arrow. Next was Jupiter, who gathered a crackling vine of lightning around her body, hurling it at the monster.

"Jupiter Oak Evolution!" Sailor Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto moved in unison, launching their three attacks together, fusing into a single blazing sphere of annihilation.

"World Shaking!"

"Deep Submerge!"

"Dead Scream..." Saturn readied her glaive, knowing that if the attacks failed, she'd need to get a Silent Wall up quickly to prevent their untimely demise. Chibi Moon looked at her team and sighed.

"Alright guys, show them what you can do!" Chibi Mercury Knight slid his visor out of the way and held out both hands, sheathing his sword first.

"Mercury Icicle Spears!" A blast of frigid air gathered in his palms, generating sharp icicles that were flung at the monster, joining the older senshi's attacks. Chibi Venus Knight wasted no time firing off another arrow.

"Venus Love Arrow!" Chibi Mars Knight swallowed hard and held out both hands, his eyes clenched shut.

"Mars Burning Flames!" ...Nothing happened, not even a slight increase of heat in the air. M. Knight stared at his hands, feeling his cheeks getting hot with embarrassment. He thrust his hands out again, yelling louder. "Mars Burning Flames!" Still nothing. Chibi Jupiter Knight pushed him out of the way, swinging his arm like throwing a baseball.

"Move it! Jupiter Thunderstorm!" With little effort, he flung a crackling ball of electricity at the monster. Chibi Pluto Knight sighed and held up his sword, pointing it at the starless.

"Screams of Destruction," Somehow, despite how unenthused he sounded, his sword began to glow maroon. With a swing, a sonic wave of energy was flung alongside the other attacks. S. Knight, unlike Sailor Saturn, jumped forward holding out his sword with both hands.

"Destructive Ray!" The tip of his sword exploded with glowing violet light, driving him backward, his feet digging deep into the ground to keep from being thrown away. The twins both stepped forward and like their guardians, launched their attacks in unison.

"Tidal Wave!"

"Earthquake Tremors!" The swirling mass of water intermixed with the concussive blast of wind, creating a small storm that joined the others in colliding with the starless. Waiting with baited breath, they were relieved to see that they had been victorious, the starless was nowhere to be found.

"Alright! We totally killed that sucker!" Sailor Moon was about to mention Minako's condition, but was knocked away by a very serious V. Knight.

"No time to celebrate, we've gotta get Minako home, now!" While the others tended to Minako, Sailor Mars knelt down beside Chibi Mars Knight, who was mumbling under his breath, his breathing hitched and his chest shaking. Listening closely, Sailor Mars could just barely make out what he was saying.

"Boys don't cry...boys don't cry..." Sailor Mars smiled and hugged him tightly.

"You did good today Koichi," Koichi didn't respond, but his mouth kept moving, repeating his mantra.

XxXxX

Artemis yawned, pushing open the door to Minako's room and walking out. His mistress had been out all evening, and didn't show any sign of waking soon. Having her spirit force ripped from her had been terribly draining. He passed by Kei's room on the way, peaking inside to check on the young leader. Despite his attitude, he had proven to be pretty good leader earlier. And Artemis couldn't help being proud of how he'd stood by Minako's side the entire time waiting for reinforcements to arrive, to the point that he had been slightly injured himself.

"Good job, Kei..." he whispered, before softly padding downstairs. Kei's door opened silently, the fiery-haired boy slipping out quickly and quietly. Glancing around, he slid into Minako's room, walking over to the bed and looking at her. The color had come back to her skin, that was good. She was breathing normally now too. That was better.

Tenderly, Kei leaned in close, watching her peaceful face. The moonlight leaking in hitting her delicate skin just right, almost making it seem to glow. Closing his eyes, Kei's lips touched Minako's. After several heavenly seconds, he pulled back walking quietly to the door.

"...I'm sorry" He softly whispered, before slipping out and shutting the door softly.


End file.
